Tournament of Power
by Illidan the Half Demon
Summary: Records tell that five millennia ago, seven items known as Millennium Items were created, but records have hidden the eighth item. When it returns in present day, will it destroy the world, or will one person stop it again?
1. Chapter 1: It Begins Again

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the anime Yugioh or Blizzard, or any other animes I may have included within this story. I do however own some cards, hehe. I only claim ownership to the character Marie O'Dell.

**Chapter 1  
**  
A young man was slowly walking down a nearly empty street in Kyoto, Japan. He had brown hair that was just above his mid-back and dark brown eyes. He was about six feet tall and semi muscular. His facial features were somewhat fair from what he'd heard, but he thought he just looked rather normal. This young man was known as Illidan Stormrage. Illidan was on his way home that night from the local Kaiba Corporation store. He had just picked up his official Duel Disk.

Marie, Illidan's girlfriend, had picked hers up the day before. Of all duelists in the world, Illidan was chosen to duel in the Tournament of Power, a tournament that was said to have a big surprise for the winner. Stakes were said to be high in this tournament. Many were surprised that even a common duelist like Illidan was picked. In all honestly, he had won small tournaments, and had a bit of a reputation as a good duelist, but to be put in the category he was being placed in was surprising.

What was even more surprising was that Marie was also chosen to enter the tournament. From what Illidan knew, there would be ten competitors altogether. The other nine where Marie O'Dell, Yugi Moto, Bandit Keith, Seto Kaiba, Noa Kaiba, Mai Valentine, Bakura Ryou, Marik Ishtar, and Joey Wheeler. Illidan had always heard about at least seven of the nine competitors as legendary duelists.

Yugi was the current number one ranked duelist in the world, Seto Kaiba being number two. Illidan wondered why then he was picked to enter. Sure he'd won tournaments, as well as Marie had, but neither was know world wide like Yugi and Seto. Illidan only figured that someone had found a way to get him and Marie in, or something like that.

About this time, Illidan saw a man in a cloak and turban standing in the middle of the sidewalk where there was no lights around. He was standing completely in Illidan's way.

"_If it's a robber, I swear, he'll be rather sorry_." thought Illidan. "Excuse me sir, could you please move out of my way?" Illidan asked politely.

"No, I can't. You may not pass till you've been tested in a duel with me." replied the mysterious man.

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to duel you now. I have things to do, and I have to get ready for the tournament that starts tomorrow." Illidan said in an irritated voice.

"You will duel me. And you must show me that you are worthy of entering such a dangerous tournament. Now, prepare yourself to duel!" responded the stranger.

Rather annoyed now, Illidan then said "Fine buddy, we'll duel. Now come out of those shadows into the street light."

Slowly, the figure appeared in the light. Illidan now noticed that the guy not only had a turban and tan cloak on, but he had huge golden earrings, as well as a huge golden key on around his neck. As well, he was darker colored, thus revealing he was not from Japan most likely. Also, his eyes seemed strange. They were a grayish color, like they were void of life. Illidan then finally noticed he wore one of Kaiba Corps Duel Disks.

"So, you have a Duel Disk too. Good to see that you do. Now, let's do this." Illidan said as he slowly pulled his new Duel Disk out of it's box.

"Since we are dueling to test your skills, we'll duel by the Tournament of Power's rules. We will both pick a Deck Master." the stranger replied.

Illidan finished putting his Duel Disk on and said "Fine, that's alright with me. Go ahead and pick yours."

Instantly, the stranger replied with "I'll pick Gravekeeper's Guard (1000/1900)." With that, the stranger opened up a slot on his Duel Disk and pushed the card in. Then a robed man with a staff appeared on the field. The man was bald, and for the most part looked like he was of Arabian decent.

Illidan then looked at his deck and thought about which monster he would choose. "_I don't want to use Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, but I need something with a good effect. I think I know which monster I want now._"

"I'll pick Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning as my Deck Master." Illidan finally said. He then placed his card in a slot on his Duel Disk and watched as his soldier in black shiny armor appeared beside him. He smiled at the sight of this monster, knowing he would be a good choice.

The stranger smiled and said "Ah, a good choice. Now, let's begin this duel."


	2. Chapter 2: Duel of Testing

**Chapter 2**

"I'll go first since I need to see how good you are. Now, prepare yourself. I set this monster in defense mode and end my turn." the stranger calmly said. A card image appeared on the field in a horizontal direction. (Stranger 8000, Illidan 8000)

"Alright, it is now my move." Illidan said with anticipation. Illidan looked at his hand. It was a decent hand to start off with. He had drawn D.D. Warrior Lady, Thunder Nyan Nyan, 2 Mystical Space Typhoon, and Premature Burial. The card he just drew was a special one to him. It was his Dark Magician of Chaos. "_Good, my favorite card. Now to use it against him._"

"Alright, I set a card face down. Then I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode." A monster dressed in a leopard print leotard then appeared. She had red hair and a set of drums in front of her. She picked up some drum sticks and began to bash the drums loudly.

"Now, attack his monster Thunder Nyan Nyan with Drum Bashing!" called out Illidan. Thunder Nyan Nyan flew across the field and struck the card image with her drum stick. From the card image appeared a woman in black robes that grabbed onto Thunder Nyan Nyan's drum sticks, seemingly stopping the drummer's attack.

"What is that?" asked Illidan in curiosity.

"It is my Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/2000). She has 2000 defense points, so your attack has cost you 100 life points. Also, Gravekeeper's Spy has a special effect when it is flipped. It allows me to special summon one Gravekeeper monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to the field in attack or defense mode. So, I'll choose Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) in defense mode." A man in black robes then appeared. He had a small aura surrounding himself.

"And now, Gravekeeper's Curse's effect activates. When it is summoned or special summoned to the field, it automatically does 500 damage to my opponent." With that, the robed man sent a small burst of energy flying at Illidan, causing him to lose life points.

"Ah man, that stinks. Well, I'll end my turn now." (Illidan 7400, Stranger 8000)

"A wise move my young friend. Now, I play the magic card called Dark Room of Nightmare. When your life points are lowered by anything other than battle damage, you lose an additional 300 life points now. Now, I'll summon Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) in defense mode." A new black robed man then took up a position on the stranger's field.

"Next, my Deck Master's special ability kicks in. Whenever I summon a Gravekeeper monster from my hand during my turn, one of your monsters is returned to your hand. So, Thunder Nyan Nyan now returns to your hand." Illidan's drum bashing monster then disappeared off of the field. Illidan frowned at this move, but finally picked his monster card back up off of the Duel Disk tray.

"Now, you automatically lose 500 life points due to my Gravekeeper's Curse. Then thanks to my magic card, you lose an additional 300 life points."

With that, the newly summoned black robed man fired a blast of energy at Illidan. The blast was small, but still effective in lowering his life points. "_Well, this isn't good._"

"Now, I'll end my turn." called out the stranger. (Illidan 6600, Stranger 8000)

Illidan then drew his next card. It was another D.D. Warrior Lady. "Now I summon D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in attack mode." A female warrior in gray, white, and black armor then appeared on the field. She quickly drew her sword from it's sheath and gave the most fierce fighting face.

"D.D. Warrior Lady, attack his Gravekeeper's Curse on the left now with Dimension Blade Slash!" The female warrior made quick work of the first black robed man by easily slashing him in two.

"Next, I activate my Deck Master's special ability. Since D.D. Warrior Lady destroyed one monster on the field, she can attack a second time. So, D.D. Warrior Lady, attack his other Gravekeeper's Curse with Dimension Blade Slash!" Once again, the female warrior took out another black robed man with ease.

"That shall end my turn." (Illidan 6600, Stranger 8000)

The stranger smiled and said "Hmm, you are doing well my young friend."

Illidan only smiled back and said "Glad you think so. Now, let's see what you can do."

The stranger only smiled again and replied with "Gladly. Now, I'll summon the monster known as Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (1500/1000) in attack mode." With that, a soldier wearing a dark like robe appeared on the field. He wielded a powerful looking spear as well.

"Now that I summoned another Gravekeeper, my Deck Master now can send one of your monsters to your hand. So your D.D. Warrior Lady returns to your hand." With that, the female warrior disappeared from the field and Illidan grudgingly picked up his monster from his Duel Disk tray. All Illidan could do was growl about this turn of events.

"Since you have nothing on the field now, I can direct attack you. So, Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, direct attack Illidan's life points with Grave Spear Strike!" The soldier quickly crossed the field and struck Illidan with his spear, knocking Illidan to one knee.

"Ok, that one hurt a bit." Illidan muttered.

"There is more to come though my young friend. I end my turn." (Illidan 5100, Stranger 8000)

"_Darn, this guy is getting the better of me. I can't keep on going like this. I need to draw something from my deck to take him down, and I need to do it right now._"

Illidan then drew his next card from his deck. It was his Graceful Charity. "_Perfect_!"

"I play the magic card known as Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw 3 new cards from my deck." Illidan then drew his Slate Warrior, Jinzo, and Monster Reborn. "_Exactly the card I needed._"

"Now, I must discard 2 cards to my Graveyard due to Graceful Charity's second effect. So, I discard my Dark Magician of Chaos and Jinzo."

The stranger chuckled and said "That was a rather foolish move my friend. You just discarded two of your best monsters."

Illidan only smirked and replied with "It may look foolish now, but watch this. I play my magic card known as Monster Reborn, allowing me to bring back my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode!" Suddenly, Illidan's powerful mage reappeared on the field. The mage was clad in tight fitting black armor and had a mysterious, if not magical glare in his eyes. Illidan only smiled as he saw his favorite monster return to the field.

"And now, his special effect kicks in, allowing me to return one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand. So I pick Monster Reborn. Now I play Monster Reborn once again, allowing me to bring back my Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode!" Suddenly the powerful cyborg made his appearance on the field beside Dark Magician of Chaos. Illidan now had two of his best monsters out.

Illidan chuckled and said "And I'm not done yet! Now I'll summon my Slate Warrior (1900/400) to the field, completing my trio of powerful monsters." A large blue and gold warrior then appeared. On his back was a huge sword, and his head was blue.

"Slate Warrior, attack his Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier with Fiend Slash!" The blue headed warrior then zoomed across the field and sliced Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier in half with his large sword.

"Next up is Jinzo. Wipe out his Gravekeeper's Spy with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg then brought one hand forward and created a sphere of black energy. Then he threw the sphere at the black robed female, easily destroying her.

"Now it's time to invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Since Jinzo destroyed your monster, he's allowed to attack a second time. So Jinzo, direct attack his life points with Cyber Energy Shock!" Again, the cyborg threw a sphere of energy, except this time directly at the stranger. The stranger faltered slightly when Jinzo's attack hit, but recovered quickly.

"Finally, Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack his life points with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The mage then twirled his staff and fired a powerful blast of dark energy at the stranger. Once again, the stranger was shaken up by the blast.

Illidan slightly chuckled and said "I bet now you wish you'd have attacked me more in your previous turns."

The stranger, in his calm and cool voice replied with "No, not really. Finish up your turn so I can continue my onslaught."

Illidan could only chuckle at that and said "Alright, I end my turn now." (Illidan 5100, Stranger 2400)

The stranger smiled and said "Now allow me to show you a real move. First, I'll invoke my Deck Master's ability. At a cost of 500 life points, I'm allowed to bring back any Gravekeeper monster. So, I'll bring back Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) in defense mode." The black robed man with the aura then returned to the field.

Pointing a finger then at Illidan, he said "And now my young friend, Gravekeeper's Curse's effect kicks in. So you now lose 500 life points, plus 300 more for my Dark Room of Nightmare." The aura around the robed man flashed violently as he threw a blast of energy at Illidan. As before, Illidan was slightly moved by the blast, but still held on.

"Next I'll sacrifice my Gravekeeper's Curse to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (1900/1200) in attack mode!" With that the black robed man disappeared and a man in white robes and a turban, who wielded a staff, appeared in his place.

The stranger then smiled and said "This triggers my Deck Master's effect, forcing you to return your Dark Magician of Chaos to your hand." With that, the powerful mage was forced to disappear from the field and return to Illidan's hand. Illidan slightly growled at this annoying effect of the stranger's Deck Master, but he had little choice but to go along with it for now.

"Now for Gravekeeper's Chief's effect. His effect now allows me to bring back one Gravekeeper from my Graveyard, so I'll pick Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) in defense mode, which once again causes you to lose 800 more life points." Suddenly then the man in a black robe reappeared, along with his strange aura. He then threw a small blast of energy at Illidan once again, causing Illidan to pant slightly.

The stranger smirked and continued on with his move, saying "Next, I'll play the field card called Necrovalley. This gives all of my Gravekeepers 500 more defense and attack points (2400/1700) (1300/1300)." Illidan only watched in shock as the stranger's two monsters glowed with a new found strength.

"Also, it prevents either of us to use cards that affect the Graveyard. Now my Gravekeeper's Chief, destroy Illidan's Jinzo with Grave Rod Bash!" The powerful cyborg and the white robed man met head on. Jinzo used his powerful Cyber Energy Shock, while the Gravekeeper's Chief struck Jinzo with his rod. The attacks on one another destroyed both of them seeing how they were even in attack points.

"To end my move, I'll place one card face down." (Illidan 3500, Stranger 1900)

"_This is just great. Now I have to contend with his face down card. I wish he hadn't of sent my Dark Magician of Chaos to my hand. I could have really of used it out on the field. Oh well, no use in complaining now. I'll just have to make due without it for now._"

Illidan then drew his next card. It was the magic card Raigeki. "_Great, now I'll just wipe him out in one turn. Since Slate Warrior has the exact amount of attack points to wipe him out, I'll just play this card and win this duel. Just in case though, I'll also play something else._"

"Alright, I'll summon D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in attack mode." The young female warrior then reappeared on the field. She drew her sword from it's sheath and raised it, showing her readiness for battle.

"Next, I'll play this magic card: Raigeki!" Streaks of lightning flashed down on the stranger's side of the field, which then destroyed the stranger's Gravekeeper's Curse.

Illidan then said with confidence in his voice "Alright, now it's time to rap this duel up. Slate Warrior, direct attack his life points now with Fiend Slash!" With that, the blue headed warrior flew across the field, slashing the stranger with his large sword. The shear strength of the attack knocked the stranger to his knees. Then his Duel Disk powered down, signifying that he was out of life points.

After catching his breath, the stranger stood back up and said "Good duel my friend. Now I'll explain all to you."


	3. Chapter 3: Prophesys Revealed

**Chapter 3  
**  
The stranger then walked closer to Illidan, saying "I see now that you are the one that I came to seek out."

Illidan curiously asked "Who are you? And more importantly, why did you demand to duel me?"

The stranger chuckled slightly, and replied with "I will answer all your questions young Illidan. You see, my name is Shadi. I am the guardian of the seven Millennium Items."

Those words sounded familiar to Illidan for some reason, but he really didn't know why. He then asked "Seven millennium what's?"

The stranger slightly chuckled and silently said to himself "And to think, this was the one that long ago that would tease me about my memory being so bad."

He then spoke up and said "Please, allow me to explain. You see, long ago in ancient Egypt, there was a powerful magic created. It allowed people of that time to play duels, but not like how we duel nowadays. In those days, they used what is called the Shadow Powers to call forth their monsters, and sometimes they would open up a dimension known as the Shadow Realm for their dueling arena. In the Shadow Realm, or in the real world when they used their powers, the monsters were made real, as real as me or you, and these monsters had terrible powers. This magic to open a portal to the Shadow Realm was thought to be far too dangerous for the people of Egypt to control."

Illidan then cut in and said "What was it so dangerous? If the people could control the monsters and had fun, why not allow it to continue?"

"The reason was because the loser of a duel, if they were in the Shadow Realm, would be banished to the Shadow Realm. Once a person is banished there, the person's soul would suffer for eternity. Also, they could never escape on their own. Only the person that banished them there could release their soul. Most of the time, the person that lost was never released. That is why what were called the Shadow Realm Games was put to an end. The Shadow Games were put to an end by a brave young pharaoh named Yami. Yami and a force of seven others took it upon themselves to put an end of the Shadow Realm Games. Soon enough, the pharaoh and his seven followers took all the dark Shadow Magic in Egypt and sealed it away in eight Millennium Items..."

Illidan quickly interrupted yet again, saying "Wait a minute, you said you guarded seven Millennium Items. What do you mean there was eight?"

Shadi could only chuckle and replied with "Patience my young friend. I will explain all if you give me a moment. Now, after the eight Millennium Items were created to house the evil of the Shadow Magic, the filling of the items began. The first seven were easy to fill, but there was much evil left once they had been completed. It was then decided by the pharaoh that the eighth item would have to house a majority of the evil, but it would be built so that the evil could not be tapped into easily. Therefore, the final item was created and designed to house a majority of the evil. It was also determined that this item would be sealed, thus limiting it's power for all time. The other seven items were to be used by the pharaoh and his faithful servants, but the eighth was to be closely watched, for it was feared it would grow uncontrollable if left unchecked. Only they would have power over the Shadow Magic. Once they all had died, the items were to be stored and then later given to their reincarnations."

Illidan, still puzzled, yet intrigued, said "Ok, so the items are given to reincarnations of the pharaoh and his followers. So, why do you have an item? Are you one of the reincarnations?"

Shadi shook his head and said "No. You see, I am the guardian of the seven Millennium Items. It was bestowed upon me many years ago. Until recently, all seven Millennium Items had been sealed away with me…"

Illidan then interrupted, saying "Until recently? Do you mean that the seven Millennium Items have been stolen or something?"

Shadi could only chuckle at Illidan's curiosity, and said "Patience my friend. No, the items were not stolen. They were given back to their rightful owners. First the Millennium Necklace and the Millennium Rod were given to a family of Tomb Keepers long ago. They were in charge of guarding the pharaoh's tomb, so those two items were necessary to help insure it's safety."

"Next, the Millennium Eye was given to a man known as Maxamillion Pegasus. After he received the eye, he then revived the game of Duel Monsters. He got the idea originally from the ancient inscriptions on the walls of the tombs where he came to get his Millennium Eye. It was pretty much a revival of the Shadow Games, but a revival of it in a good way. The way he designed the cards was so that the monsters wouldn't be able to take a real form."

"Next, the Millennium Ring was given to a man. He was told to give it to his son, who was destined to own it."

"Then the Millennium Puzzle was given to a man whom I met. I told him to give it to his grandson. I later learned that the boy put the Millennium Puzzle back together, which unlocked the spirit of the pharaoh, Yami."

Illidan looked at the Shadi with a strange look and said "Whoa, hold on a second. You mean that the pharaoh's spirit was inside of this Millennium Puzzle thing?"

Chuckling at Illidan's choice words, Shadi replied with "Yes, it was. The pharaoh sealed himself in the puzzle to preserve his spirit. It was the only way to do it."

"Finally, there is one item to which I'm still destined to guard. I currently guard the Millennium Key, which I'm currently wearing, and then there is my own item that was always mean for me. It is called the Millennium Scales."

"I was destined to guard the Millennium Key till its real owner reappeared. Recently, I was told by the one that controls the Millennium Necklace that the true owner has been reincarnated though. That owner is you, Illidan."

Illidan, shocked by that last comment, pointed at himself and said "Huh, me? Why me?"

Shadi calmly replied with "Because you were destined to own it. It has been waiting for you for centuries. When the items were originally created, you wielded the Millennium Key. You then gave it to me for safe keeping, and said that you would one day need it again. It is now time for it to reunite with you."

Illidan looked at the golden key that was around the stranger's neck. True, he did feel as if the odd key was calling out to him, and it seemed to be awakening something deep within him, but what he wasn't sure.

Slowly, Illidan then asked "Wait, I have just one question about this Millennium Key. Does it house a spirit of some dead guy?"

Chuckling, Shadi shook his head no.

Illidan breathed a sigh of relief and said "Good, cause I don't want to share my body with some dead guy. So why do you think I'm it's owner? Couldn't you be mistaken and someone else is it's owner?"

Shadi shook his head and replied with "No, there is no denying it. This Millennium Item is yours. It even guided me to you tonight."

Illidan only looked at Shadi with a strange expression and said "You mean you used it to track me down? Wow, weirdness."

Shadi could only laugh at Illidan's choice of words and said "Yes, the key homed in on you. That is just the proof that I needed to have to know for sure that this Millennium Key is yours. So now, I wish to give it to you."

Shadi then lifted the Millennium Key over his head and then handed it to Illidan. Illidan slowly took the key in his hands and stared at the key. Something deep inside of him seemed to be slowly awakening to the feel of this golden object.

Illidan then curiously asked "You're sure no dead guy's spirit is in this key, right?"

Shadi could only laugh at this question and responded with "Yes, I'm very sure."

Illidan sighed and said "Alright, I'll have to hold you to that. If I get possessed though, I won't be very happy."

Illidan then took the Millennium Key and slipped it over his head to around his neck. The key felt rather light. He was amazed that for an object that looked to be pretty heavy that it was light as a feather. As he laid it to rest on his chest, the key slightly glowed golden, as if it recognized the one who had taken control of it.

Illidan finally looked back up at Shadi and asked "So, now what Shadi?"

Shadi calmly replied with "Now I'll tell you why I had to test you for this tournament that is coming up. The reason is the eighth Millennium Item has been reawakened. It has been brought out of its eternal slumber."

Illidan cocked his head to the side and said "Do you mean the eighth item has been given to somebody?"

Shadi shook his head and said "No, it was stolen from its chamber. I have not entered the chamber in which it stored for five millennia, but I had to the day it was stolen."

Illidan quickly asked "Wait, couldn't it be possible that whoever was there was destined to possess it? How can you say it was stolen?"

Shadi sighed and then said "Simple. I was there when the chamber was broken into and it was stolen. The man behind the theft was none other than Gozaburo Kaiba! I attempted to stop him as he stole the item, but I was unable to stop him."

Illidan only nodded and then said "So, what kind of powers does this eighth Millennium Item have? And by the way, what powers does this Millennium Key have?"

Shadi responded with "The Millennium Key has two powers, which I know of. First, it allows you to become invisible. Nobody has ever seen me once I've used that power. I'm not sure though if other Millennium Items can see through the barrier of invisibility. The second power that I know of is that it enables you to unlock a person's mind. Basically, you can enter a person's mind and discover anything that they know of. Also, it allows you to lock a person's mind. You can even trap a person's mind within itself. I would not recommend doing that one though. It is easy to unlock their mind again, but it is a cruel fate to be locked within your own mind."

Illidan nodded, knowing that would be a cruel fate. He then said "Ok, I understand. Do I have to learn to use these powers, or will I just automatically know?"

Shadi quickly replied with "You will learn over time. At any rate, here is what the eighth item's powers are."

Before Shadi could continue, Illidan cut him off and asked "Wait, what is the eighth item's name?"

Shadi replied with "It is called the Millennium Crown. It is a terrible item. Its power is truly evil. It has the power to grant one wish of it's controller."

Illidan cocked his head to the side and said "Grant one wish? Like a genie or something?"

Shadi shook his head and responded with "No, it is not quite the same. You see, to get a wish granted, it takes true work. To get the Millennium Crown to work, the one controlling the crown must defeat one of the most powerful duelists in the world. That is the reasoning behind this tournament. Gozaburo hopes to lure ten of the best duelists in the world into a set of duels. That way the ten will push each other to the brink of their limits. Then he will take the top duelist and duel them. And if he wins, he'll be able to unlock the Millennium Crown's true power. That is why you must not let this happen. Please Illidan, I beg of you, you must stop Gozaburo."

Illidan then asked "If he's gathering ten of the best, why is he gathering me and Marie? Neither of us are as famous or as strong as the other eight."

Shadi only responded with "I have no idea. Gozaburo may think for some reason that you two are worthy of the challenge."

Silently, Shadi said to himself "Or it could be he knows who you two really are."

Illidan only sighed and said "I will do all I can to stop him. I promise you that Shadi."

Shadi nodded and said "There is something else you should know Illidan. The holder of the Millennium Necklace also saw the future of this tournament. She has been checking it's future constantly, but there is a problem."

Illidan only gave a puzzled look and said "And that is?"

Shadi sadly said "The visions keep changing."

Illidan only looked at Shadi and said "What do you mean they keep changing?"

Shadi slowly said "They change. She has looked five times so far. Out of five times, she has seen you facing Gozaburo two times. The other three times, she has seen three different people facing Gozaburo. One of the others is the pharaoh. Another is the one you call Marie. The …"

Illidan quickly interrupted, saying "Hold on! You mean Marie was in her vision!"

Shadi silently nodded, saying "Yes, I do. The final other one was Marik Ishtar, another item holder. He holds the Millennium Rod."

Illidan only looked up at the sky for a moment and then said "So, you're saying that it is possible that one of the four of us will win the tourney?"

Shadi shook his head and said "No, I'm saying one of the four of you all will face Gozaburo. She can not see the results of the duel though. So, you must do your best to try to win. It maybe destined that the pharaoh is to win though. She just isn't sure. But you must do your best to try to win."

Sighing, Illidan finally said "Alright, I will Shadi."

Shadi nodded and said "Thank you my young friend. It is getting late. I should go. Good luck, my young friend."

Illidan nodded and replied with "Thank you Shadi. And I promise to do all I can."

Shadi smiled and said "Good, cause the world will need you to. Good night."

With that, Shadi walked away from Illidan, leaving him there to contemplate all that had just been said. Illidan stood there for a moment, thinking to himself how this whole tournament now meant so much more than a cheesy title of world's strongest. It now meant the fate of the world would be decided. Finally, Illidan decided it was time to get home and sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day.


	4. Chapter 4: Memories Return

**Chapter 4  
**  
During the night, Illidan had a strange dream about ancient land. He finally determined it was ancient Egypt due to all the sand that was around the city. There he saw himself meeting the pharaoh in the throne room. The vision was showing Illidan all that the Millennium Key had seen.

His past self had moved to the front of the pharaoh's throne, then bowed, and awaited the pharaoh's permission to rise. Of course, the pharaoh insisted that Illidan stop bowing to him.

The pharaoh said in an irritated voice "After all Illidan, you are one of my closest friends, not to mention you are my brother by marriage. We are almost like blood brothers. You do not have to bow to me ever."

Illidan's past self only lightly chuckled and said "I know my pharaoh, but I feel that I am bound to. I feel such honor to be your friend and brother-in-law."

Sighing, the pharaoh finally said "Fine, arise Illidan."

His past self then arose to look at the pharaoh. Looking more closely at the pharaoh, Illidan realized that he was wearing a golden upside down pyramid that looked like it would come apart if dropped. It looked more like a puzzle than anything. Illidan then turned to look at his past self. He suddenly realized that his past self was wearing the Millennium Key.

"_So, I was the owner of the Millennium Key. I guess Shadi was right after all._"

The pharaoh then got off of his throne and walked down the steps to the past version of Illidan.

"So Illidan, what news do you bring?" the pharaoh asked nicely.

"Yami, the eighth Millennium Item has been finished. But there is a problem. I'm afraid that its evil is entirely too dangerous to be given to anyone." Illidan's past self said in a sad voice.

"_Yami? That must have been the pharaoh's name. That name though, it sounds so familiar._"

"What do you mean? Is the evil in it that strong?" asked a curious Yami.

"Yes, it is my pharaoh. The power sealed in it is greater than the other seven items combined. And to make matters worse, somehow it seems that the Millennium Crown has the same powers as all seven Millennium Items." past Illidan relayed to his pharaoh.

"Are you telling me that this item has the power of all seven?" asked a shocked Yami.

"Yes, it seems that it does. I'm unsure of what to do with the Millennium Crown now. Gozaburo and I were filling it with the power when he suddenly became possessed by it, but I luckily I acted fast when this happened. I quickly used my Millennium Key to send Gozaburo to the Shadow Realm in order to keep the Millennium Crown from taking his mind over completely. I apologize for my actions, but I did manage to get the crown off of him and then brought him back. He said he couldn't resist the evil, that it was far too powerful, even after all his training. I'm worried that this item maybe uncontrollable. I fear for Egypt now if that item is put into commission for use."

Yami slowly stroked his chin and finally said "Hmm, this is bad news indeed. If this item has this much power, then we must seal its power."

Illidan nodded and said "I agree. I have in mind the perfect seal if you so wish for me to put it in place. It shall be one that will never be broken. That way if anyone ever does take possession of this powerful item, it'll be mostly useless to them."

Yami replied with "There is one problem though."

Illidan raised an eyebrow and said "Oh? What is that?"

Moving slightly forward, Yami said "Can you fully seal it?"

Illidan thought for a moment and finally said "Really, I don't know. I don't think I can fully seal it. The powers that it has like the other seven items may not be sealable. I could only be able to seal the majority of its power."

Yami sighed and finally said "Then we have no choice but to do that then. If you can seal a majority of it's power away, then that is better than nothing. You must seal the crown as soon as possible. We will have all the others meet with us first though. Please, go tell all the others of our plan."

Illidan humbly bowed and said "As you wish my pharaoh."

Illidan then began to leave as Yami said "I really wish you'd stop that Illidan."

Chuckling, Illidan said "I know, but I mostly do it anymore to just have you say that you want me to stop that."

With that, both smirked. Illidan's past self then continued on his way to find the others.

Suddenly Illidan's vision ended. He woke up in a cold sweat. Glancing down, Illidan saw that the Millennium Key was glowing.

"So, you showed me this vision? Well, I thank you for convincing me more. And I now know that I must help save the world."

With that, the key then stopped glowing. Illidan then glanced at the time. It was 5 in the morning, so he decided it was time for more sleep. After all, he had a long day ahead, and he needed all the rest he could get.


	5. Chapter 5: Ready to go

**Chapter 5  
**  
After awakening in the morning, Illidan took a long hard look in the mirror. He was no longer the young man that was into dueling for just fun. Now he was in it for saving the world. Things seemed so much direr now, and Illidan now had to figure out how to activate his Millennium Key's powers.

With only 3 hours before Illidan had to leave to get to Kaiba Corp. Island, Illidan decided to first check out his deck. "_Might as well make sure that I didn't forget something important in it._"

Illidan's deck had taken him quite a few months to put together. He had asked the opinion of several duelists when piecing it together. He knew that this deck would win this tournament since he put his heart and soul into this deck.

First there was his favorite card: the Dark Magician of Chaos. Illidan had picked up this card in a set a few weeks before he heard about the tournament. He liked the card because he got it when he had taken Marie out on a date. Also, he loved the fact that it was tricky.

Then he found his second favorite card, his Luster Dragon. This was his first ever 1900 attack point monster. Plus, he felt favoritism for this card because of the powerful dragon it depicted. The dragon was said to not like to fight, but when it did, it released incredible power.

Illidan then continued looking through his deck. He saw his powerful Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. This monster is formed by offering up 3 other monsters known as Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior. Also, you could bring those 3 back by sending Valkyrion to the Graveyard. Illidan knew a handy little move that got all 4 to the field. It was a technical move, but was possible.

Next Illidan found his Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning. After last night's duel, Illidan decided that this monster would be his Deck Master throughout the tournament.

The next monster Illidan found was Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End. This monster was as special as his BLS-EOTB. This monster had the power to wipe out the entire field and a player's hand. To Illidan, this card was powerful, but not unbeatable.

Finally, there was Illidan's Jinzo. This monster would bring many a duelists to their knees. With the ability to negate traps, Jinzo represented a real problem to any duelist.

After checking all his other cards, Illidan then decided that his deck was fully assembled. He then stuck his deck in it's carrier, which he had strapped to his belt.

Illidan then turned his attention to his Millennium Key. He still had no idea how to work it. Shadi had told him the night before that he'd learn how to. Still, Illidan had hoped that the Millennium Key would implant into his head that knowledge, but he had no such luck.

Concentrating hard, Illidan thought back to the vision he had the night before. Nowhere in that vision had he seen his past self use the Millennium Key. Illidan finally decided that he'd just have to figure it out the hard way. Holding the key in this right hand, he then imagined himself becoming invisible. The key then responded by cloaking Illidan in a shroud of darkness. Illidan quickly realized that this shroud was a cloak of invisibility. He quickly imagined himself being visible once again. Once again, the key responded by lifting the cloak of darkness.

Happy, he then said "Cool. Now that I know how to become invisible, I need to learn to unlock a person's mind. But that is dangerous, and I hate to accidentally lock someone's mind. Hmm, I'd better not try that move yet. For now, I'll just be happy with invisibility."

Illidan then decided to have a little fun. Illidan then imagined becoming invisible once again. Just as before, the key shrouded Illidan in darkness. Illidan then went outside of his home. He walked down to the sidewalk where he saw a small child being picked on by a bully.

"You'd better give me your lunch money now or you're going to be riding a wheelchair home. So, what is it going to be little boy?" the mean bully said to the poor kid. The kid was pinned up against a tree, so he had nowhere to run.

"I think neither." Illidan said in a mysterious voice.

"Who said that? I bet you are a ventriloquist, right?" asked the bully with fear in his voice.

The little boy shook his head no. The kid was just as afraid as the bully in a way. Suddenly, the bully started floating, like someone had picked him up by the back of his shirt.

"People like you need to learn not to pick on little kids. I want you to apologize, or you'll be sorry." Illidan said in a voice of cold steel.

Scarred half to death, the bully apologized exceedingly to the little boy. Once finished, Illidan dropped the boy to his feet. Still frightened due that he couldn't see anyone, the bully ran away crying for his mommy.

With a slight chuckle, Illidan then turned to the little boy. The boy seemed frightened because he couldn't who was there. Illidan then decided he'd better show himself or he'd regret scarring the boy half to death. Illidan then imagined being visible once again. As before, the key caused Illidan to reappear. The boy was scared when he saw Illidan materialize right in front of him. Once rematerializing, Illidan kneeled down to the boy's height.

Gently, he said "I'm sorry if I scared you. I was only trying to teach that bully a lesson. Are you alright?"

Slowly, the boy stammered a yes.

Smiling, Illidan said "Good. I'm glad you're alright. Well, I must go. I once again apologize for scarring you."

Quickly, the boy said "Wait, who are you?"

"I'm a guy who likes helping the underdog out. I've got to go. Bye." Illidan replied.

"Bye-bye." the kid replied.

With that, Illidan then dematerialized once again. Once back in his house, Illidan rematerialized. Illidan then checked the time. He'd wasted enough time. Now he only had an hour left to get to the ferry boat that was to take the duelists to Kaiba Corp. Island.

He quickly called Marie, asking her if she'd like to ride together to the ferry. She agreed to, so he quickly grabbed his duffle bag and got on the subway and went to her home. On the way, Illidan made sure to hide the Millennium Key. He carefully tucked it away into his shirt so Marie couldn't see it. Illidan dearly loved Marie, but he hated hiding things from here, but still, he didn't want her to worry.

Once he arrived, his breath was taken away. There stood Marie in a pink t-shirt and a pair of tight jeans, which showed off her wonderful figure. Her beautiful mid-back length brown hair shined brightly in the sun. Illidan then glanced up at her face and then stared into her beautiful light brown eyes. He couldn't help but stare at her all the time, for her beauty was truly breathtaking.

Taking him by the hand, she said "We have no time for you to stand there gawking. Let's get going to the ferry before we're too late."

Shaking himself back into reality, he nodded and gently led her towards the subway. All the way to the ferry, they talked about different things, mostly about what was to come at the tournament. Both agreed that it would be an uphill struggle for each of them, but they figured that they would do well if they tried their best.

At last, they pulled into the station by the sea where the ferry awaited. Illidan and Marie walked hand in hand to the ferry and quickly hurried on board. At long last, the ferry departed for Kaiba Corp. Island.


	6. Chapter 6: Meet the Opponents

**Chapter 6**

The boat ride to Kaiba Corp. Island was a long one. The captain of the ship announced that the trip would take six hours. That meant it would be almost 10 P.M. when the ferry would pull into port.

Illidan didn't mind the wait usually, but still he hated to ride a boat for that long. Also, he wanted to hurry up and get to the island so he could get dueling. According to the tournament description, the Tournament of Power would last at least 2 weeks. That was ok with Illidan, seeing how the one person he longed to see was with him. Two weeks of intense dueling would be fun to him, not to mention he'd be able to see Marie daily still.

Well, it would have been more fun to him if not for the words that Shadi had spoken to him the night before. While waiting for the boat to arrive at the island, Illidan decided that Marie and he might as well meet some of the competition on the boat.

Hand in hand, Illidan and Marie walked hand into the main room of the ship. There, they saw several duelists that were famous through out the world.

First they saw Bandit Keith, the Intercontinental Champion. He had blonde hair that looked like it was in a pony tail and wore dark sunglasses, even though it was dark out, and an American flag bandanna. He'd been in Duelist Kingdom, but lost in the semi-finals to Joey Wheeler.

In the corner alone with his younger brother was Seto Kaiba. Seto had hardened dark blue eyes and brown bottom neck length hair. He wore a white trench coat with what looked like black leather pants and a black shirt underneath. Seto Kaiba was the current World Champion. Even though he'd lost to Yugi Moto in Battle City, Seto was still given that title. Seto was to duel in Duelist Kingdom, but backed out. In Battle City, Seto made it to the semi-finals, only to lose to Yugi. He was also rumored too that he had as well once owned one of the Egyptian God Cards. His card was said to be terribly powerful, but not as powerful as Marik's Egyptian God Card.

Then a group of people caught Illidan's eye. The first he identified was a duelist named Noa Kaiba, whom was mostly listening to the group and smiling. He seemed to be wearing a cream colored suit that had purple tracing around the middle of his shirt to the sleeves and his collar. Also, he had an odd green color to his bottom neck length hair and sad violet eyes. It was rumored that he had been dead, but he guessed not. Reason he wasn't sure was there had been a piece in the paper several years before on the death of a young man named Noa Kaiba, but that made little sense that he'd be alive and in a tournament.

Next one in the group that Illidan identified was Bakura Ryou. He had whitish-silver hair that was about shoulder length and what looked like sad, but deep brown eyes. Also, he wore a blue and white striped shirt with gray pants and tennis shoes. He was in the Battle City Tournament as well, but fell short in the quarter finals against Yugi Moto. Illidan had a strange feeling about Bakura also. It seemed like he could sense that Bakura had some kind of evil radiating from his body, but Illidan wasn't sure why it felt like that. He only could guess that maybe Bakura was just bad to the bone, or it could be he was getting sea sick.

The next person he recognized was Marik Ishtar, who was talking to Bakura. He had blonde hair that was bottom neck length and had piercing blue eyes, plus tan skin. He wore a white sleeveless shirt and had on a pair of tan khakis with black boots. He had made it all the way to the finals in Battle City, but was beaten by Yugi Moto. Illidan had heard rumors that Marik used a Millennium Item called the Millennium Rod. Those rumors also said that he'd used it for evil, but now was using it for good. The final rumor Illidan had heard about Marik was he had once owned one of three Egyptian God Cards. It was also rumored that his card was the most powerful of the three.

Illidan then recognized Mai Valentine. She was wearing a purple skirt and purple jacket with what looked like a white t-shirt underneath. Also, she wore purple gloves and purple high-heel boots. She had violet eyes and sandy blonde mid-back length hair. She also was in the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, but like Keith, lost in the semi-finals to Yugi Moto. She also participated in the Battle City Tournament, but again fell short in the tournament. She was defeated in the quarter finals by Marik Ishtar. From what Illidan had heard, when she lost, she was sent to what people called the Shadow Realm, which Illidan now knew all about.

He then identified Joey Wheeler, who was standing next to Mai. Joey had sandy blonde hair that seemed to go to the bottom of his neck, and he had brown eyes. He wore a white t-shirt with blue sleeves and a blue square in the middle. Also, he had on blue-jeans and regular tennis shoes. Illidan had heard that Joey was a good friend of Yugi Moto's. Also, Joey had dueled his way to the finals in Duelist Kingdom, only to be beaten by Yugi. Then in Battle City, Joey had reached the semi-finals, but lost to Marik. Joey was expected to be one of the tougher duelists in this tournament, and possibly one that could go all the way to the top.

Finally, Illidan saw Yugi Moto standing next to Joey. Yugi wore what looked like a school uniform almost. It was a blue jacket and he had on blue pants, but he had on a black t-shirt underneath his jacket. As well, he wore black boots and an odd thick belt. His hair was the true oddity though. He had spikes that had a pinkish-violet edge, with a black inner part, and then blonde bangs. His eyes were violet colored and seemed so full of innocence. Finally, and if not most noticeably other than Yugi's hair was an upside down pyramid that hung from a thick chain. It looked almost like it had cracks in it, but on closer examination, you could tell it was a puzzle. Yugi was said to be the best duelist in the world. He had won the Duelist Kingdom tournament, and then won the Battle City tournament. Finally, he was said to own all three Egyptian God Card's as well. Also, there a rumor that Yugi had won all three during the Battle City tournament. All Illidan knew though was he had to beat all three in order to win the tournament.

The last thing that truly caught Illidan's attention about Yugi was the golden upside down pyramid puzzle that hung from that thick chain. "_It's the same upside down pyramid I saw last night in my vision! Could it be that he is the one that has the pharaoh's spirit?_"

Illidan then heard Marie interrupt his thoughts with "Let's go talk to some of those people Illidan."

Shaking himself of his thoughts, he smiled and said "Alright Marie, let's go."

Slowly, the two of them walked on over to talk to the group that was surrounding Joey and Yugi. There was a girl with brown shoulder length hair and blue eyes, and she looked like she was about Joey and Yugi's age. Also, there was a guy that was taller and older looking than Joey that had an odd haircut and brown eyes. As well, there was another girl, a younger girl, which had brown mid-back length hair and brown eyes. She seemed to be standing closer to Joey, making him guess possibly it was Joey's sister, or possibly his girlfriend. Illidan just couldn't tell for sure though. Then there was one other guy with the group that had green eyes black shoulder length hair that was in a pony tail and a die as an earring, which looked kind of silly to Illidan, but decided not to poke fun at them. Next he saw a girl that was probably Illidan and Marie's age. She had long black hair and tan skin, and had blue eyes. Beside her was a guy that was probably much older. He had a weird set of symbols on his face, which Illidan took to be a tattoo. The guy also had a black pony tail and golden eyes, as well as tan skin.

As politely as he possibly could, Illidan then walked up to them and said "Hi. My name is Illidan Stormrage, and this is my girlfriend Marie O'Dell. How are you all?" "_Gee, that sounded a little dorkie for even me._"

The group looked at Illidan and Marie, and then each smiled at them.

Yugi first spoke to Illidan, saying "Hi, it's nice to meet you both. My name is Yugi Moto."

"My name is Joey Wheeler." spoke up Joey.

"My name is Tea," the girl with brown hair and blue eyes said.

"The name is Tristan." said the guy that had the odd haircut and brown eyes.

"Hello, my name is Serenity. I'm Joey's younger sister." the younger girl with brown hair and eyes said sweetly.

"They call me Duke Devlin." said the guy wearing the dice earring.

"My name is Mai Valentine. Don't forget it hun." Mai said, which sounded more like a flirt than a simple response.

Shyly, the older man with a black pony tail and a strange tattoo on his face said "My name is Odion Ishtar. I'm Marik's step brother."

"Hi, my name is Marik." Marik said with a smile.

"I'm Marik's sister, Ishizu." the girl with black hair and blue eyes said.

The kind but sad looking Noa then said "Hi, my name is Noa Kaiba."

Finally, the gray haired Bakura smiled and said "My name is Bakura Ryou. Nice to meet you chaps."

Smiling, Illidan said "It's nice to meet you all. We figured we'd come on over and try and get to know a few people since we only know each other."

"How long have you two known each other?" asked Joey.

"We've been going out for about three years now. We knew each other before then for a while too." Illidan responded kindly.

Yugi then asked "So, what brings you to the Tournament of Power?"

Smiling, Illidan said "Ah, mostly looking for some …"

Right in the middle of Illidan's sentence, Illidan seemed to sense someone else. It was like the presence of another person had become apparent, but he wasn't sure who. He didn't see anyone, but still felt a strange presence.

"Is something wrong Illidan?"

Illidan snapped out of his daze, and realized that Yugi was talking to him.

Stuttering slightly, Illidan finally said "No, I was just admiring the pendant you are wearing."

"Oh, that's my Millennium Puzzle. It was given to me by my grandfather. It was a present that he got for me a few years ago. I put it together, so this is what the final product looked like." Yugi said with a smile.

Suddenly, Illidan remembered Shadi had said possibly that the pharaoh was to save the world in this tournament. "_Could that mean that this boy is the pharaoh reincarnated?_"

"It looks pretty cool." Illidan finally said when he had his thoughts gathered back up.

Yugi then smiled and replied with "Thanks."

For about five hours, the group talked about things that were going on. Joey, Yugi, Mai, and many of the others then began telling Illidan and Marie about their experiences in Duelist Kingdom and Battle City.

In the middle of telling a story about how Joey nearly lost to a water duelist in Battle City, which Joey was quick to say he wasn't going to lose, the guards interrupted and called for their attention.

One guard then said "May I have your attention."

Everyone looked up from whatever they were doing. The guard then walked over to the center of the room and said "Currently we are on course for Kaiba Corp. Island. It will be at least one more hour before we arrive. At this time, I'd like for all duelists and guests to please return to your rooms and gather your things. As soon as we arrive at the island, we will leave this boat. Thank you."

With that, everyone stood and headed back for their rooms, knowing that they were about to arrive to the battle zone.


	7. Chapter 7: Return of the Necklace

**Chapter 7**

Secretly, one guest had followed Marie to her room. Once at her room, the guest pushed Marie into her room.

"What the …" Marie began to cry out, only to find a hand quickly covering her mouth.

The guest then pushed Marie even harder into her room. The mysterious guest then quickly shut the door and then turned to face Marie.

"Sorry, but I need to talk to you Marie." came a familiar voice.

Marie immediately recognized the girl that was there by her voice. It was Ishizu Ishtar.

"What do you want Ishizu?" Marie asked in an irritated voice. It was bad enough to surprise someone, but to shove them into their room, making them think something else was going on was just worse.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to give you something. I know that you were destined to own it." Ishizu said.

Ishizu then raised her hands up to her neck and concentrated for a second. In a golden flash, a golden necklace formed around her neck. It had what looked like an eye in the middle of the necklace.

Marie gasped, but surprisingly, she felt as if she'd seen this golden object before her a long time ago. She then said "Wow, how did you do that?"

Chuckling, Ishizu then replied with "That doesn't matter right now. This is my Millennium Necklace. With it, I've gazed into the past and the future. And in the past, I've learned that it was not I that was destined to own it for all time. I learned that you once owned it and was destined to own it again."

Shocked, Marie said "Huh? What do you mean I owned it?"

Calmly, Ishizu then responded with "In ancient times, the times of the pharaoh named Yami, you were one of eight followers that assisted the pharaoh. And for your help, you were awarded the Millennium Necklace."

Not understanding a single word that Ishizu was saying, Marie gave a puzzled look. For some reason though, something deep within her felt as if she understood, but still, she wasn't sure. She then curiously said "Ancient times? Millennium Necklace? One of eight followers? What are you talking about?"

Smiling, Ishizu then said "I'm talking about your destiny. You have a destiny to fulfill in this tournament. And in order to fulfill it, you need your Millennium Necklace back to help fulfill it. You gave it long ago to the Tomb Keepers, which was your own family, in order to keep them safe. In turn, they kept it safe and used it to help guard the pharaoh's tomb for nearly five millennia. It was passed down to each Tomb Keeper till eventually, I was given the Millennium Necklace to help protect the pharaoh's tomb. Now, the Millennium Necklace has to be returned to its true owner. So here, I return your Millennium Necklace to you."

Ishizu then took the Millennium Necklace off of her neck and handed it to Marie. When it was safely in Marie's hands, it suddenly started to glow. This glow triggered something rather deep within Marie. Something that was meant to only reawaken when she had received the Millennium Necklace.

Images flashed through Marie's eyes, giving her a quick glance at her ancient past. Images of herself, of Illidan, of many others she had known, and then so many other different images. This was all that was needed to reawaken her past self.

Marie then smiled at Ishizu and said "Yes, I remember now. It was mine. It has been so long since I've had the Millennium Necklace with me. I thank you Ishizu. Thank you for returning my Millennium Necklace to me."

Ishizu smiled and slightly bowed her head, saying "You are welcome. Good luck in the tournament."

With that, Ishizu left the room. Marie only stood there looking at the Millennium Necklace for a few long moments. She then decided to put the Millennium Necklace on. Slowly, she placed it around her neck, realizing it had been nearly five millennia since she had last wore it.

Once it was on, she decided to look back to the time of the pharaoh. She hoped that the images of the past would help return all of her past memories. Slowly but surely, the Millennium Necklace reawakened her memories. There she sat in her room through the rest of the journey, continuing to slowly remember all of her past and checking into her future.

As they arrived to the island, Marie then stopped looking and used the same technique Ishizu had to conceal her Millennium Necklace. She smiled and then decided she'd have to continue checking the future out later. For now, she had to worry about the present.


	8. Chapter 8: The Rules

**Chapter 8**

"Welcome to Kaiba Corp. Island. We hope you enjoyed your boat ride. Please follow me." bellowed a guard.

The group followed the guard that seemed in charge towards a giant tower that was lighted up in the distance. The tower was huge. Illidan had been to see several huge buildings before, but never a tower this large.

As they continued to walk, his thoughts started to catch up with his predicament. "_I've got to remember, this is going to be one of the most important things I do in my life. I must try and keep the world safe. If what Shadi said is true, then the whole world is in danger. I could be the only one to save it._"

While he was lost in thought, Illidan had slowed down, thus allowing the group to move further and further away.

Marie happened to look back and noticed that Illidan was falling behind, thus making her believe he was lost in thought.

Silently, she began to silently think to herself "_I wonder if he knows that he might be the one to save the world. If he doesn't, then maybe I should tell him. But then again, my Millennium Necklace showed me images of either Illidan, Yugi, Marik, or me dueling Gozaburo. Another problem is I can't look past that duel, or even see the result of the duel. Oh well, I'd better grab him and get him back to reality._"

"Illidan, come on. You're falling behind." Marie called out.

Illidan's thoughts were quickly broken, making him say "Huh? Oh, sorry about that. I'm coming."

He quickly sped up till he was finally beside Marie.

Again, he got lost in his thoughts. "_I won't let anything happen to any of them, especially Marie. I can't let Gozaboorro take over the world. I must press on and protect them, at all costs._"

"Illidan, you seem so lost in thought tonight. What is the matter?"

Once again, Illidan had heard Marie's sweet voice cut right through his thoughts.

Snapping out of his daze, Illidan looked over at Marie. She was starring right into his brown eyes, trying to find out what he was thinking most likely.

Smiling, he said "Oh, nothing really. Just staring out into space as usual."

Sighing, she replied with "Ok, because you seem so distracted today. Like your mind is in another place or something."

Answering truthfully, he said "I guess I'm just thinking about the tournament."

Smiling, she responded with "Oh, ok."

Silently in her thoughts though, she said "_I wonder if Illidan knows what is going to happen in the tournament. Maybe I should tell him? But if I do, I don't know what might happen. Then again, it maybe my destiny to tell him about the tournament. I don't know what to do._"

Illidan noticed how lost Marie seemed now and jokingly said "Now look who is lost in deep thought."

The words he spoke knocked her out of her thoughts, causing her to say "Huh, oh, sorry about that. Just thinking about the tournament as well."

Laughing, Illidan said "And you say I daydream too much. Well, we're almost there. Let's try and catch the group."

Hurrying along, they finally caught up with the group of duelists and guests. At long last, the guards brought the group into the tower.

Once inside, they walked to the center of the room. There sat Gozaburo on a thrown like structure.

Seto Kaiba ran forward, pointing an angry finger at Gozaburo, screaming "Hey pops, who do you think you are, sitting in my chair!"

Gozaburo only laughed at Seto's tone of voice and replied with "Is that any way to talk to your father?"

Angry, Seto screamed back "YOU AREN'T MY FATHER! You are my step father, and only that. My real father was more of a man than you'll ever be Gozaburo!"

Smirking, Gozaburo calmly responded with "You wish Seto. Your real father was a bum, and a filthy one at that. But I'm not going to go into that. You don't remember him too well, but I do. Now, onto more important things."

Mokuba grabbed his brother's hand and said "Don't let him bug you Seto. Just remember why you're here." Seto grudgingly nodded and stepped back to rejoin the group. He was still furious, but attempted to calm down.

Gozaburo smirked and then said "Alright duelists, I'll make this short and sweet. This is the Tournament of Power. You will all duel at a minimum of ten times. Wins and losses of the duels will be saved. Also, there will be a ranking system. This system will be setup by lottery draw to begin with, but with each duel you win or lose, the rankings will adjust to that win or loss. At the end of the ten duels, your rankings will be used to figure out your starting place in the final ten way duel…"

"Ten way duel? Are you insane? That would be extremely hard to pull off old man!" yelled out Bandit Keith.

Shaking his head to show the idiocy of Keith, he then looked back up to watch and listen to Gozaburo.

Chuckling, Gozaburo then continued, saying "It will be a ten way duel to determine who is worthy of dueling me. But it doesn't end there. Once you win the ten way duel, you will then face five of my associates to make certain you are the best of the best. Then, if you somehow defeat each of them, you will finally face me. And I can then assure you, it will be a duel that you will never forget!"

Gozaburo then smiled evilly at the group. Illidan was getting a feeling that this guy was half crazy. Maybe the Millennium Crown had done it to him, but he wasn't sure yet.

"That is how this tournament will run. Now, for the official rules. Each of you will pick a Deck Master here today. It will be your Deck Master throughout the rest of the tournament, so pick well. Once you have picked a monster, insert it into the Deck Master slot on your Duel Disks. It will then lock the card inside, which means no one will be able to switch Deck Masters. Now, go choose your Deck Master! My men will record which monster you choose. That monster's Deck Master ability will not be told to you here today. You will receive an email on your computer in your room later tonight. Now begin the choosing!" declared Gozaburo.

Each of the duelists seemed to head to their own little area, searching their deck for one card that could be their Deck Master. All that is, but Illidan. Illidan stepped forward to the guy in charge of recording which monster they choose as their Deck Masters.

"Yes, may I help you?" asked the man in a suit.

"I've picked my Deck Master." Illidan kindly said.

Nodding, the man then said "Alright, just tell me what it is and then stick it in the Deck Master slot."

"It is Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)." declared Illidan.

Writing down the monster name, the man then nodded and said "Very well. Now, just insert him into the slot."

Illidan then tapped the slot where his Deck Master would be placed. The slot quickly opened and Illidan stuck his monster into the slot. Illidan then saw the slot close and sound like it locked. "_Wow, it really did lock itself. Must be a command that was created to work in this building._"

The man then nodded and said "Alright, you are already now. All you have to do is wait till the others decide. Then you will be told what is next."

"Thank you." Illidan responded.

Illidan then turned and went to sit up against a wall. After a short time, Illidan then saw four duelists head to the man in charge of recording the Deck Masters. The four were Yugi, Joey, Marik, and Bakura.

Bakura went first, displaying his Dark Necrofear (2200/2800) card. Then Joey came forward, showing his Flame Swordsman (1800/1600) card. Next, Marik showed his Puppet Master (0/0) card. Finally, Yugi showed his Dark Magician (2500/2100) card.

Once the four were done, they walked over to Illidan and sat down with him.

"Hopefully we all picked good cards," stated Marik.

"As long as you let the Heart of the Cards guide you, you will always pick the right card." replied Yugi with a smile.

Illidan looked over, after hearing Yugi give his little saying. "_You know, he is right. As long as you let the Heart of the Cards lead you, there isn't anything you can't do._"

After a while, Marie finally went up to a guard, flashing her Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000) card to him. Behind her, Seto Kaiba showed his Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650). In behind him, Mai Valentine showed her Amazoness Paladin (1700/300).

The last two were Bandit Keith and Noa Kaiba. Keith showed his powerful Machine King (2200/2000). Finally, Noa Kaiba displayed his Shinato – King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000). At last, all the Deck Masters were chosen.

Once Noa was done, Gozaburo then spoke up once again, saying "Good, now that that is out of the way, all duelists will now draw one lottery number. Duelists, line up and draw."

The duelists then formed a line quickly. One by one, they each drew a lottery number from a black bag. When it was all over and done with, the following rankings were displayed. 1st Yugi Moto; 2nd Seto Kaiba; 3rd Bandit Keith; 4th Marik Ishtar; 5th Noa Kaiba; 6th Marie O'Dell; 7th Bakura Ryou; 8th Illidan Stormrage; 9th Mai Valentine; 10th Joey Wheeler.

Gozaburo then cleared his throat and said "Now duelists, I will set up the matches daily. You will know who you face each morning. Remember, these duels will be important in determining where you start in the final ten way duel. Also, just so Bandit Keith and Seto know, their titles are on the line…"

Keith screamed "NO WAY!"

Everyone turned to see Keith with his jaw wide open.

Gozaburo only laughed and said "Lose the duel, and you will lose your title. They will be defended each time you duel. No exceptions. Also, I will have tag teams made too. There will be a tag team title for the best team. Well, this is all I have for you all tonight. Now, rest up, cause you will need it tomorrow. My guards will escort all of you to your rooms. Good night and good luck, for you'll each need it!"

After he said those last words, he only let loose a wild insane laughter. Then he hit a button on his throne. Slowly, the throne with Gozaburo in it started sliding back towards the back of the tower.

A guard then cleared his throat and said "Now, if you all will follow me, I'll show you each of you to your rooms."

This guard then led all the duelists into an elevator. After everyone squeezed in, they went to a floor marked living quarters. Once there, the guard showed each person to their rooms.

After finally making it to his room, Illidan laid down on the bed. "_Well, so far so good. Hopefully things will be alright, but I have a bad feeling about Gozaburo. He seemed to be starring at us as if we were just his play things. Oh well, no use in worrying about it._"

Illidan finally decided he'd better get some sleep. Checking in his duffle bag, Illidan found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that he usually slept in. After looking around the room, he realized it was much larger than he first though. There was a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room. "_Wow, Gozaburo must have went to great expense for us all._"

After going into the bathroom, Illidan brushed his teeth and washed his face. Finally, he was ready for sleep. "_Tomorrow will be a long day. Well, better try to get some sleep._" Slowly, Illidan drifted away into a deep sleep.


	9. Chapter 9: Gozaburo Makes his Rounds

**Chapter 9**

In his office, Gozaburo was laughing rather loudly. In his thoughts, he said "What fools they are! Thinking I'm throwing a tournament, just for their amusement!"

"Servants, bring me my tea, now!" yelled Gozaburo.

"Right away Mr. Kaiba." replied his faithful servant.

After his servant left, Gozaburo sat there, starring at his ultimate prize. He then began to get lost in his thoughts, thinking "If I hadn't of heard of this marvelous little trinket, I wonder where I'd have found myself. It doesn't matter though. Now with the Millennium Crown in my possession, I have the power to finally take over the world. The world will be mine for the taking once I unlock it's full power. But first I must defeat the strongest duelist in the world. Those fools will soon begin dueling each other, pushing each other to their limits. And once they have pushed each other to the limit, one will emerge. Then that one will have to get through my five associates, whom I hope can at least push that one duelist to another higher level. Once that duelist has been pushed to their physical and mental limits, they'll be ripe for the taking for me! I'll crush him or her in a duel, then I'll have the ability to unlock the Millennium Crown! This shall be such great fun!"

His servant then interrupted his thoughts, saying "Sir, here is your tea."

Gozaburo smiled and quickly took the tea and set it on his desk. He then said "Thank you my loyal servant. You may now leave me."

Humbly bowing, the man then replied with "Thank you sir."

With that, the servant went to his quarters for the night.

Gozaburo only chuckled and said "Yes, I shall soon be the most powerful man in the world. And I owe it all to this powerful artifact. I must finish unlocking it's power. I've seen some of it's abilities, but not all. Each is great, but not enough to fully unseal the power to grant one wish."

Gozaburo then slipped the Millennium Crown onto his head and began to activate the powerful crown.

Chuckling again, he then said "Let's see what those fools are thinking about. It should be easy to see into each one's mind."

Concentrating, Gozaburo started searching rooms mentally for a mind to enter. He finally found a first mind to enter, and it happened to be his step son's, Seto.

Laughing, Gozaburo then said "Ah, what are you thinking about Seto?"

He then entered into Seto's mind. There, Gozaburo saw images of a younger Seto and Mokuba playing chess. Then images of Gozaburo flashed through Seto's mind. Most of the images showed when Seto took over, more like stole in Gozaburo's opinion, Kaiba Corp. from Gozaburo.

Growling, Gozaburo said "How dare that arrogant brat think he deserves my company? He built a tower at this very spot once to show his power over me. Then the fool demolished it. But when I came back, I rebuilt it, and to finish it, I took Seto's very own throne from his personal offices at Kaiba Corp. Headquarters! For the ungratefulness of this little punk, he will spend the rest of his years trapped in the Shadow Realm!"

Finally calming down, Gozaburo said "Oh well. Now to look for the next person."

Gozaburo then began to search for a new mind and wandered into the mind of Joey. There he saw images of Joey's sister and friends.

Chuckling, Gozaburo said "Ah, how cute. Joey is thinking of his friends and family. I'll make sure to send them all to the Shadow Realm just to be rather nasty, muwhahaha!"

Next, Gozaburo entered into Mai's mind. She was thinking of Joey as she usually did anymore. Just thinking how lucky she was to know Joey, and wishing so much that it would go past friendship.

Laughing and almost feeling like gagging, Gozaburo said "I can take care of that my dear. Soon you and Joey will spend all eternity in the Shadow Realm, muwhahaha!"

The next person's mind he entered was Marik Ishtar, but he immediately got thrown out of Marik's mind.

Shaking his head, Gozaburo asked "What happened? Why was I thrown out? Hmm, he must have a Millennium Item, thus being able to guard his mind. That could only be the logical explanation. Oh well, I'll just move on."

Again, Gozaburo began concentrating, this time finding Noa's mind. There he saw images of Noa's past floating around. Noa was Gozaburo's only true son, so he saw many things he remembered from Noa's past. Then Gozaburo saw the last images Noa had seen in the virtual world that he'd been trapped in for years. It was Noa trying to prevent Gozaburo from escaping that world.

Noa succeeded, to a degree. He did keep Gozaburo from escaping the virtual world, but little did Noa know that a second virtual world had been constructed, so Gozaburo was able to flee to it. Unfortunately for him, Noa was dragged with him. After much thought, Gozaburo decided to reconstruct both his and Noa's body. He had no need for Noa, but did feel a small bit guilty for leaving his own son behind. Plus, he thought possibly he could change his son's mind if he created a body for him. So, against his better judgment, he constructed two bodies. He then had both his and Noa's minds put into the new bodies. After the successful transfer, Noa was still angry with his father. Horrified that his father had survived and still wanted to control the world, Noa fled from his father, hoping to find a way to stop this madness.

Growling at the ungratefulness of his son, he said "That fool will pay dearly for not remaining with me. He'll suffer the same fate as Seto and the others."

Calming down, he then chuckled and said "Now, who is next."

Gozaburo next entered into the mind of Yugi Moto. But once in his mind, he saw what looked like Yugi, but not quite. This Yugi looked taller, and more dark.

"Leave now!" commanded the odd looking Yugi.

Gozaburo was then thrown out of Yugi's mind.

Shaking his head, Gozaburo tried to reason out what happened. "No way Yugi could have been that strong. Wait, I remember now. I saw him wearing the Millennium Puzzle when he came in. I get it now. He is carrying the pharaoh's spirit. Muwhahaha, this will be more pleasurable than I thought! I'll soon rid the world of that do gooder, once and for all!"

After taking a moment to have an evil laugh, Gozburo then regained his composure. He then entered into Bandit Keith's mind. Once in there, he saw images of Keith losing to Pegasus, as well to Joey Wheeler. Then the final insult was when Marik took control of his mind and had him duel Yugi.

Smirking, Gozaburo evilly said "Don't worry fool! The embarrassment isn't over yet. Soon enough, you'll have all eternity to think about it while you're in the Shadow Realm!"

Again, resuming his concentration, Gozaburo entered into Bakura's mind. As with Yugi, there stood someone in the way. The one in the way looked like Bakura, but wasn't quite. He seemed darker, and much more twisted.

In an irritated voice, the dark Bakura said "I'd suggest you leave before I send you to the Shadow Realm for daring to enter my vessel's mind. Now, leave or be destroyed!"

Gozaburo was then thrown from Bakura's mind.

Smirking, Gozaburo then said "Ah, I see we have three duelists with Millennium Items. That's alright. I might not be able to enslave them when I take over the world with the Millennium Crown, but I will have them hunted down and taken care of. I'll imprison each of them in the Shadow Realm when it's all done and said with. Now to check on the last two. If my hunch was right about who they really are, I may find out now."

As before, Gozaburo began concentrating on finding the two remaining duelists. First, he tried to enter Marie's mind. But he soon enough was blocked. He had only slightly entered, and saw nothing but a white hallway. Then he was tossed out as with the others.

Smirking, he laughed and said "I see. My hunch was right about that girl. She quite possibly is the one I was searching for. Soon enough, I'll have what I want from her!"

Finally, Gozaburo tried entering into Illidan's mind. Immediately, he was stopped by an invisible force and saw an image of Illidan appear before him.

With a smirk on his face, the image said "I'm sorry; Illidan's mind is not open to you at this time. Please hang up and try your call again."

Growling, Gozaburo roared "Arrogant little punk! How dare he speak to me like that!"

Gozaburo then slammed his fists into the throne. He was extremely frustrated due that he had run into five duelists with Millennium Items, but mostly he was frustrated by the last one.

Finally, Gozaburo stopped and started to chuckle. He then calmly said "At least I know he is here as well. That will make this tournament all that much sweeter when I win!

He then began an evil laughter and got up to leave his office. Continuing his evil laughter into the night, Gozaburo proceeded to his room. His laughter could be heard throughout the tower as he walked the halls.


	10. Chapter 10: Realization and Keith

**Chapter 10**

The next morning, Illidan awoke in a cold sweat. Since he had come into possession of the Millennium Key, he'd had all kinds of weird dreams. Really, they weren't just dreams. They were visions of his past memories from the ancient days that were five millennia ago. Also, he saw images of the forging of the Millennium Crown, and realized one thing for sure. Gozaburo was there. He was the blacksmith that forged the Millennium Items. With that terrible knowledge know weighing on Illidan's mind, he realized that the tournament had become much harder than he thought originally.

"_From what I can tell of my past memories that have been shown to me by the Millennium Key, Gozaburo was the blacksmith that created the items. That means he knows each item's strengths and weaknesses. As well, he should know each one's power. But maybe his memories haven't been awakened yet. If they haven't, then those of us possessing a Millennium Item have the advantage for now._"

Finally tired of thinking about something that he may have no control over, he decided it might be time to get up. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was already 6:30 A.M. "_Man, it's way to early to be getting up._"

Grudgingly, Illidan got up and walked to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. Then he went back into the kitchen and ate some muffins that were in the refrigerator. "_I must say one thing for Gozaburo, he spared no expense on furnishing us a place to stay and stuff to eat._"

Once he finished eating his breakfast, Illidan decided he needed a shower since he hadn't had one since the day before. He quickly took a shower and came out drying his hair. Looking through his duffle bag, he finally decided on a set of clothes to wear for the day, which was a red t-shirt and blue-jeans.

After finally getting his hair dried, he picked up his deck and Duel Disk. Quickly, he made sure all his cards were in his deck still, just in case. "_Never can be too careful I guess._"

Suddenly the intercom buzzed to life and someone came on the air.

"Attention duelists, you can now check to see who you will duel today. You will be able to access this by logging onto your account on the computer we supplied you. Good dueling to you all."

Sighing, Illidan walked over to the laptop that sat on his desk It was already on, so he just sat down to have a go at it.

"Well, I'd better check to see what my Deck Master's effects are and who I'm dueling today." he silently said to himself.

After logging on, Illidan then checked out his Deck Master's abilities. From what he saw, there were three, much to his delight.

The first one Illidan already knew. It allowed one monster, once a turn, to attack a second time if that monster had already destroyed another monster.

The second effect allowed Illidan to bring one Chaos type monster back from the Graveyard or removed from play pile at a cost of 1000 life points. "_Hmm, that could come in handy in bringing back Dark Magician of Chaos since he's removed from play when he's destroyed._"

The final effect was if Illidan removed 2 light and 2 dark attribute monsters from his Graveyard, his Deck Master could then be called back from the field if it was about to be destroyed. "_Excellent. That means I can actually put Black Luster Soldier on the field, and bring him back if I'm in danger of losing him._"

After memorizing the full list of abilities, Illidan then decided to see who he would face on that day. Much to his surprise, it was Bandit Keith, the Intercontinental Champion, and it was for his Intercontinental Title! And more shocking, it was at 8:00 A.M.!

Still in shock, he said aloud "Well, this is a shock! I wonder why I got Keith right off the bat though."

After thinking about it for a moment, he realized that Gozaburo might be trying to take him and Marie down early in the tournament.

Out of curiosity, Illidan then checked to see who Marie was to duel. Scrolling down the page, he finally found out she was set to duel Mai Valentine. He had a feeling Marie would win that duel.

Once again, the intercom suddenly buzzed to life. "Duelists, the first match will begin in the next few minutes. It will be Illidan Stormrage vs. Bandit Keith for the Intercontinental Championship! Will Illidan Stormrage and Bandit Keith please report to the main elevators so we can begin the duel. Thank you."

Looking at his clock, Illidan said "Crap, I'm almost going to be late! I'd better hurry and get to the elevator!"

He quickly logged off of the computer and then ran and brushed his teeth. As fast as he could, he grabbed his deck and Duel Disk and began running down the hall to the main elevator.

Along the way, Illidan accidentally plowed into Yugi, nearly knocking both of them over.

Feeling already pressed for time, and now on top of that embarrassed, he lightly bowed and said "I'm sorry Yugi. I was kind of in a rush and didn't meant to plow into you like that."

Smiling, Yugi said "It's alright Illidan. No one was hurt."

Nodding, Illidan then hurried on down the hall to the elevator. Once arriving, Illidan saw a guy in a black suit lightly tapping his foot and Bandit Keith leaning against the wall.

Smiling, the man said "Good, you made it. I'm the judge for this tournament. By the way, you should try to get here on time from now on. Now, let's hurry up to the top."

With that, Illidan, Keith, and the judge got into the main elevator. The elevator seemed to be going rather fast to Illidan, but he didn't mind. For what seemed only a long minute came to an end fast. They were at the top, ready for the duels. All three then stepped out one by one.

Looking around, Illidan saw a set of stands on the side of the tower, then a middle ring, and finally four semi large walls. Scanning the stands, he quickly saw Marie and all everyone else. Illidan guessed that attendance might not be mandatory, but it could be since everyone was there.

Interrupting his thoughts was the judge, saying "Alright duelists, walk with me to the center."

Both Illidan and Keith followed the instructions handed out and met in the middle of the Duel Ring with the judge.

Seemingly repeating something he had memorized, the judge said "Alright duelists, I want a good clean duel. You each know the rules. Now, since this is a match for your Intercontinental title, you have choice of who goes first Mr. Keith."

Keith only smirked and said "I'll go first you suit."

Nodding, the judge then said "Very well, Bandit Keith has elected to go first. Illidan, you will go second then. Both of you shake hands and then shuffle each others decks."

Illidan then extended his hand and began to shake. During the shaking, Keith began to squeeze harder, but Illidan squeezed back just as hard.

Keith snickered and said "I'm going to destroy you, you little punk. Don't think you're going to win, cause I'll break you in half with ease."

Illidan then began squeezing back harder, making sure Keith realize that he was much stronger than he appeared. Then with a smile, Illidan replied with "Better watch out yourself, Keith. Underestimating your opponent is one way of losing quickly."

With that, Illidan let go of Keith's hand. Keith brought it back, shaking it to get the pain out. Scowling, he then handed his deck to Illidan. Illidan did the same thing at the same time for Keith. Both then shuffled each other's decks and finally handed them back to one another.

"You'll lose you little twit." snickered Keith.

"Now duelists, to your marks." called out the judge before Illidan could respond to Keith's insult.

Illidan and Keith then went to the positions marked on the floor of the Duel Ring. Looking over at the sun as it was still rising in the sky, Illidan realized just how beautiful a morning it was to be out dueling. "_Such a shame that I can't just have fun with duels anymore. Now its time to get down to business and find out what is truly going on with this tournament._"

"Duelists, activate your Duel Disks and fire your holographic projectors. Due that the tower's built in projectors are currently not installed, you shall have to use the ones on your Duel Disks. Next bring out your Deck Masters." instructed the judge.

With that, Illidan and Keith both fired little holographic projectors from their Duel Disks. Once they landed on the tower floor and activated, the Duel Disks then unfolded and lighted up. Each Duel Disk life point counter then went up to 8000.

Putting on a big grin, Keith then said "I'll bring my Machine King (2200/2000) out now!" With that, a huge blue and red machine monster with large looking arms appeared beside Keith. It's metal gleamed in the early morning sunlight.

As a slight breeze blew by Illidan, he gave off a small shiver. "_Wow, it's rather cool with that wind. I should have put a coat on for this duel._"

Putting those thoughts aside, Illidan then said "I'll summon my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500) out now!" The large warrior then appeared right beside of Illidan. His monster had powerful, shiny black armor and a brilliantly shiny sword and shield. Giving off a hint of a smile, Illidan then turned his attention to Keith.

The judge then gave his final orders, saying "Duelists, draw your first five cards and then begin the duel Mr. Keith!"

Both then drew their cards and yelled "It's time to duel!"


	11. Chapter 11: Machine Break Down

**Chapter 11**

Snickering slightly, Keith said "Alright, I'll begin this duel by summoning my X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode. Now, my Deck Master's special ability is activated." A blue and yellow like robot with a spike ball for legs then appeared on the field. It had twin barrels and rather large arms as well. Machine King then fired what looked like a laser at X-Head Cannon, but instead of destroying X-Head Cannon, it seemed to strength it. The stats on the blue and yellow machine then increased by 200 (2000/1700).

Confused, Illidan then curiously asked "So, your Machine King gave him additional points?"

Smirking, Keith then replied with "No duh punk. Whenever I summon a machine monster to the field, Machine King automatically gives them 200 more attack and defense points. Also, notice Machine King's attack points went up as well."

Illidan then glanced over at the holo image of Machine King's stats and saw them rise by 200 as well. "_Hmm, how did he do that? Wait, I remember now. Machine King's special effect is it gains 100 attack points per a machine monster on the field. That explains the sudden boost in power._"

In an irritated voice, Keith then said "Still stumped punk?"

"No Keith, I'm not. I know exactly how Machine King got stronger. So finish your move." replied Illidan with an irritated tone.

Giving off a snicker, Keith then said "Alright, I'll end by playing one card face down. Now, your move, that is, if you have a move." (Keith 8000, Illidan 8000)

Illidan drew his card and looked at it for a long moment. His hand looked pretty decent. Illidan's hand consisted of Sangan, Graceful Charity, Thunder Nyan Nyan, Pot of Greed, and Mystical Space Typhoon. The card Illidan had just drawn was Call of the Haunted. "_Hmm, not too bad. Let's see if I can take the offensive on Keith._"

"I'll play the magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards." Illidan then drew his two new cards with much delight at the sight of his Reflect Bounder and Witch of the Black Forest.

Smiling, he then said "Now I'll play the magic card Graceful Charity. This allows me to draw three new cards, but I must discard two also." The three cards Illidan drew were Waboku, Cyber Jar, and Exchange. "_Great, these will really help._"

"The two cards I'll discard are Witch of the Black Forest and Thunder Nyan Nyan…"

Interrupting, Keith yelled "What a waste of my time! You shouldn't even be dueling here. Finish your loser move so I can take you down."

Smirking at Keith's rough and tough attitude, Illidan then said "Next I'll place one card face down and then set a monster in defense. I now end my turn." (Keith 8000, Illidan 8000)

"_That idiot will never guess what I have in stored for him. His arrogance will be his downfall._"

Snickering, Keith then said "Good, cause I'm about to tear you up. Now, I'll summon Drillago (1600/1000) in attack mode. Next, my Deck Master gives Drillago 200 more attack and defense." A purple and golden colored monster with several silver drills then appeared on the field and let out a small metallic roar. Machine King then blasted Drillago with a beam, causing Drillago's stats then strengthened by 200.

Smirking, Keith then said "Now, it's time I done some serious damage. Drillago (1800/1200), attack his face down monster with Drill Crush!"

As Drillago approached with drills spinning, Illidan hit the button on his Duel Disk to reveal his face down card. "Sorry Keith, but not today. I activate Waboku. This will protect my face down monster and my life points for this turn."

Growling, Keith then said "I'll end my turn." (Keith 8000, Illidan 8000)

Illidan drew his card. Looking at his Monster Reborn, Illidan then realized that he could turn this duel to his advantage very soon.

Smiling, Illidan said "Alright Keith, I'll set a monster in defense. That ends my turn." (Keith 8000, Illidan 8000)

"_Setting my Cyber Jar now seems good. Once he's flipped, I'll have a slight advantage over Keith._"

In an irritated voice, Keith then said "Punk, you've been here too long, so I'm going to personally get rid of you now. I'll summon my Mechanical Chaser (1850/800) to the field in attack mode. Now he gains 200 attack and defense points (2050/1000)!" A green six armed robot with wings then appeared on the field. It was just a sphere shaped monster and had a small staff in it's hand.

"Now my Mechanical Chaser, attack Illidan's monster on the left!" ordered Keith. Mechanical Chaser quickly flew across the field, smashing the target it had been ordered to attack with it's staff. A small orange, furry creature with three eyes and green arms then appeared as Mechanical Chaser neared. It was easily slashed in two by the powerful machine monster.

Chuckling, Illidan then said "Thanks Keith. Now thanks to Sangan, I am able to move one monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points to my hand. And the monster I'll choose shall be Spirit Reaper (300/200)."

Snickering, Keith responded with "Why pick that pathetic monster? It don't really matter though. X-Head Cannon, attack Illidan's other monster with Cannon Blaster!" The powerful yellow and blue machine monster then took aim and fired a shot from it's twin barrels at the card image. Illidan only grinned as the monster was then revealed. A metallic silver jar with a blue face and green electric eye then appeared. The metallic jar had a smile on it's blue face as well, symbolizing what kind of devastation was about to happen.

"NO, IT CAN'T BE!" screamed Keith.

Smirking, Illidan then said "Oh yes it be Keith. Thanks to your move, you flipped my Cyber Jar. Now, it's effect activates. All monsters on the field are now destroyed!"

The metallic jar creature then fired a single beam of light from it's electric eye at each monster on the field. All of Keith's monsters were instantly destroyed. Then Cyber Jar blew up as well at last.

Smiling, Illidan said "Next we each draw five cards and show each other what we drew. Then we special summon any level four or lower monsters to the field. So draw your five cards."

Grudgingly, Keith drew five cards and showed them to Illidan. He had drawn Barrel Dragon, Blowback Dragon, Spell Cancellor, Slot Machine, and Launcher Spider. "_Ha, he didn't even draw one monster that he could special summon!_"

Illidan then drew his five cards and smiled great big. He then showed Keith his D.D. Warrior Lady, Jinzo, Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Waboku, and Mystical Space Typhoon. Illidan then special summoned D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) and Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700) both in attack mode. A female warrior in silver, black and white armor then appeared and drew her sword from her sheath. Then a silver metallic magnet creature appeared and raised it's sword and shield for battle.

Grumbling, Keith then said "I end my move." (Keith 8000, Illidan 8000)

Smiling, Illidan then drew his next card. "_Perfect, it's Slate Warrior!_"

"Good job Keith. You left yourself wide open for a direct attack. I'll first set one monster on the field. Next, I'll set three cards face down. D.D. Warrior Lady, direct attack Keith with Dimension Sword Slash!" The female warrior then flew across the field and slashed Keith with her sword. Keith flinched for a second, but then straightened back up.

"Alpha the Magnet Warrior, direct attack Keith with Magnetic Slash!" The metallic magnet warrior then launched itself across the field, easily slashing Keith with it's sword, causing Keith this time to go down on one knee. He then quickly recovered and stood back up straight.

Knowing Keith was quite angry, Illidan smirked and said "Now, to end my move, I play my magic card known as Mystical Space Typhoon on your face down card!" A powerful typhoon then shot at Keith's face down card, easily destroying it, but flipping it face up first to reveal it to be Interdimensional Matter Transporter.

Keith was furious now and screamed "YOU PUNK! Nobody does that to Bandit Keith! Nobody!"

Chuckling, Illidan responded with "Yeah, yeah Keith, nobody but me. That'll end my turn." (Keith 5100, Illidan 8000)

Keith then angrily grabbed his next card and appeared just as frustrated when he said "I'll set one monster and end my turn. Your move brat." (Keith 5100, Illidan 8000)

Illidan drew his next card. He was surprised very much by it. "_My Dark Magician of Chaos! Excellent!_"

Smiling, Illidan then said "Prepare yourself Keith, for this duel will soon end. Now, I'll activate the trap card known as Call of the Haunted! It allows me to special summon any monster from my Graveyard to the field in attack mode, and I'll pick my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200)!" A woman with purple hair with long black robes then appeared on the field and let out a small cry.

"Next, I'll sacrifice her for my Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode!" The woman then disappeared to only be replaced by a green armored cyborg. He let out a small roar as he then took his usual crossed arm stance.

"Since Witch of the Black Forest just went to the Graveyard, her effect allows me to pick one monster with 1500 or less defense points from my deck and add it to my hand, so I'll pick Breaker the Magical Warrior! Next, Jinzo's effect kicks in. He has the ability to negate all traps currently active and inactive, meaning if you had any traps down, they'd useless now!"

Keith began growling from frustration at this development. He didn't get to growl long, for Illidan had much more to show him.

Smiling, Illidan then said "But wait, I'm not done yet! Now I'll flip summon my face down monster, which is Slate Warrior (1900/400)!" The powerful blue skinned fiend with golden armor then appeared to take a fighting stance while grabbing the hilt of his huge sword on his back.

"Since he was flip summoned, his effect activates. He now gains 500 attack and defense points (2400/900)! Slate Warrior, attack Keith's face down monster with Fiend Slash!" The blue skinned warrior then pulled his large sword from his back and charged Keith's monster. In one swing, he sliced the card image, revealing the image of a robot with huge missiles on it's back. The robot then exploded due that it was now in half thanks to Slate Warrior's sword.

Smirking, Illidan then said "So, your plan was to hide behind Guardian of the Throne Room (1650/1600)?"

Snarling, Keith spat back "Get off my back you punk! Soon enough you'll see my true plan for your destruction!"

Chuckling, Illidan replied with "Sure Keith, if you say so. Jinzo direct attack Keith's life points with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg then stretched one hand out and built up power. Then a sphere of black energy formed in his outstretched palm. Finally, the blast was hurled towards Keith, easily causing Keith to be knocked to his knees.

Realizing that this could just about put Keith down once and for all, Illidan then said "Time to begin rapping things up. D.D. Warrior Lady, attack him directly with Dimension Blade Slash!" As the female warrior charged Keith, he began laughing manically.

Smirking, he then said "Not so fast punk! I warned you I wasn't done yet, and now I'll show you what I mean. I now activate my Deck Master's special ability, which allows me to special summon one machine monster from my hand by removing the same amount of monsters that it would take to tribute it normally from the Graveyard. So, I'll remove Guardian of the Throne Room and Mechanical Chaser to special summon my Perfect Machine King (2700/1500) in attack mode!" Instantly the female warrior jumped back as suddenly a large robot appeared on the field. It was a huge red and white robot with many missiles attached to it's body. It's eyes lit up as it stretched it's arms to show it's power. Then suddenly Keith's Deck Master, Machine King, turned towards the new machine monster and fired a powerful beam, thus increasing it's power by 200 points (2900/1700).

Illidan just stood in awe of the huge machine. "_Well, looks like he wasn't bluffing after all._" Smiling though, Illidan then said "Well, it's still my turn, so I'll switch my Alpha the Magnet Warrior and D.D. Warrior Lady both to defense mode. That ends my move." (Keith 2700, Illidan 8000)

Smirking, Keith said "Illidan, did you know that Jinzo is a machine type monster?"

Looking at Keith like he was the dumbest person in the world, he sarcastically said "Yeah, no duh."

Snickering, Keith replied with "Well, then you'll love this. Perfect Machine King, do it!" Perfect Machine King then began to glow as it gained an additional 500 attack points (3400/1700).

Shocked at the display, Illidan asked "What happened?"

Snickering again, Keith responded with "Easy Illidan. You see, Perfect Machine King's special effect allows him to gain 500 additional attack points for each machine type monster on the field. So he automatically gained more attack points thanks to your Jinzo! Now, I summon my Robotic Knight (1600/1800) in attack mode to the field." A robot dressed like a knight then appeared on the field beside Perfect Machine King. Machine King's eyes then glowed and it fired a blast at Robotic Knight, instantly boosting it's points by 200 (1800/2000). Then suddenly, Perfect Machine King glowed again as it's attack points jumped up again (3900/1700).

Sighing, Illidan realized now he did have a fight on his hands. "_Just a hunch, but I'd have to guess that is another machine monster._"

Smirking, Keith then said "And now Illidan, I'll use my Deck Master's special ability again. I'll remove from play my X-Head Cannon and my Drillago, to summon my Barrel Dragon (2600/2200) to the field!" Suddenly a metallic looking dragon appeared. It looked like it's head was a cannon barrel and it's arms were the same way. Then suddenly Machine King's eyes lit up again as it blasted the metallic dragon, thus raising the dragon's points (2800/2400). Simultaneously, Perfect Machine King then glowed as it was strengthened as well (4400/1700).

"_Not good. Now he has a powerful machine army ready to mow down my field. Man, every machine monster he summons or I summon is feeding that thing. This is bad._"

Snickering, Keith said "But I'm not done yet Illidan. After being disgraced by you earlier, I can only think of one way to get you back. So now, I'll move my Deck Master onto the field, so Machine King (2700/2000) is now in play!" The powerful machine monster then floated gently from his Deck Master position to the field. Once on the field, it raised it's fists up to it's side and let out a metallic roar. Once on the field, the more powerful Perfect Machine King then glowed again as it's strength once again rose (4900/1700).

Laughing hard now, Keith declared "You're history now! The final card I'll play this turn is the magic card known as Stop Defense, and I'll use it on your Alpha the Magnet Warrior!" Suddenly Illidan's Alpha the Magnet Warrior slowly started standing up till it was finally in an attacking position.

Growling, Illidan silently said "This isn't good. Now Alpha is in a bad position and there is nothing I can do about it."

Laughing extremely hard, Keith only pointed at Alpha, and then finally calmed down enough to say "Perfect Machine King, attack Illidan's Alpha the Magnet Warrior with Missile Barrage!" The powerful red and white machine monster then launched all of it's missiles at the weaker magnet warrior. The gray monster was easily decimated by the huge explosion of the barrage as it struck it. The backwash of the blast then hit Illidan hard, making him go to one knee.

Keith then began his annoying laugh while surveying the damage he had inflicted upon Illidan. Finally, he calmed down enough to say "It's a beautiful sight to see you down like that. But it's not over yet, for now Barrel Dragon, attack his Slate Warrior with Plasma Cannon!"

The powerful metallic dragon then began powering up it's three cannons for the onslaught. Finally, it then fired a powerful blast from all three barrels at the blue skinned fiend. The attack hit the fiend hard, but before it was destroyed, it threw it's large sword at the metallic dragon, causing the sword to become lodged in one of the three barrels. The metallic dragon roared in pain as it suddenly became weaker from the sword being lodged (2200/1700).

Keith then screamed "What have you done to my Barrel Dragon?"

Chuckling, Illidan responded with "Simple Keith. Thanks to Slate Warrior's special effect, when he's destroyed due to damage, the monster that destroyed him loses 500 attack and defense points. That means your dragon just got weaker for attacking him."

Growling, Keith then yelled "Machine King, attack Jinzo with Rocket Fist!" The powerful red machine monster moaned as it fired it's rocket arm at the cybog creature. The fist easily went through the cyborg and then fired reverse jets, allowing it to return to the Machine King's arm socket. As a reaction to the loss of Jinzo, both Machine King and Perfect Machine King started glowing as they grew weaker (2600/2000) (4400/1700).

Slightly chuckling, Illidan said "Looks like your big bad machines have lost some steam."

Slightly growling, Keith then began to slightly snicker and said "That is the price I have to pay for power, but that's alright. Now I'll end my turn." (Keith 2700, Illidan 3800)

"_I've got one chance to win now. I must destroy his Deck Master. It's the only way now. Hopefully I can do it._" Closing his eyes, Illidan drew his next card slowly. He then brought it up to look at it and slowly opened his eyes to find a card that made him extremely happy. Illidan then slightly chuckled, knowing Keith was through.

Keith looked at Illidan with an annoyed look and said "What are you laughing about! Finally realize that you can't win this duel!"

Smirking, Illidan shook his head and said "No, I'm feeling sorry for you now. Watch this move! I remove Thunder Nyan Nyan and Cyber Jar from my Graveyard to the removed from play pile, allowing me to now special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500) in attack mode!" A large black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field. It roared loudly as it stretched out it's huge black wings, showing it's true supremacy.

Smiling at the horrified look on Keith's face, Illidan then said "Next I'll give up 1000 life points to activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's special effect! Now I can destroy all the cards on the field and send both our hands to the Graveyard. Once all cards that were sent to the field are counted up, you lose 300 points times the number of cards sent by both of us to the Graveyard! But that won't matter, cause your Deck Master is about to be blown away!"

With his jaw falling open, he screamed "What? No! You can't!"

Smiling, Illidan responded with "I can, and I will. Chaos Emperor Dragon, use your Infinite Blaster!"

The mighty black dragon then roared as it began glowing. Then with one last mighty roar, the dragon exploded, destroying every monster on the field and sent all the cards in both duelists' hands to the Graveyard. But the second part of the dragon's effect didn't really matter due that Keith's Machine King was caught in the explosion, automatically destroying it.

Keith screamed "Noooo!" as his powerful machine monster exploded into millions of pieces.

After the smoke finally cleared, nothing was left standing but Illidan with his Deck Master standing beside him, and Keith was there on his knees, now completely alone. Keith's Duel Disk then powered down due that his Deck Master had been destroyed.

Clearing his throat, the judge then yelled "Bandit Keith loses the duel due that his Deck Master has been destroyed. Illidan is the winner of this duel, and is the new Intercontinental Champion! Congratulations Illidan!"

The judge then walked over and handed Illidan the title belt that Keith had so proudly displayed as his sign of being a champion. A big smile just lit up on Illidan's face as he held the title belt for the first time.

Illidan then looked over to see an angry Keith storming off of the top of the tower. "_Oh well, maybe he should cool down after that exciting of a match. Wow, I'm a champion now, how cool!_"

About that time, Marie and the others from the crowd came down to congratulate him and started making a cheer, yelling "Illidan, Illidan!"

Meanwhile, back in his comfy office, Gozaburo only smirked at the images he saw from the cameras on top of the tower.

He then said "It seems that Illidan is a far better duelist than I guessed. So, the Millennium Crown was right about having him being one of the ten duelists. But in the end, it won't matter, for he'll fall at my hands, muwhahaha!"


	12. Chapter 12: Celebration and Tension

**Chapter 12**

After the day of dueling was over, the standings were adjusted for each win and loss. Yugi remained first due that he beat Noa. Seto as well remained second by defeating Joey. Due to Keith's loss, Marik advanced to third with his victory over Bakura. Even with a loss, Noa had managed to somehow get moved into fourth. Illidan moved all the way up from eighth to fifth with his win over Keith. Marie moved up to sixth with her win over Mai. With his loss, Keith slid all the way back to seventh. Bakura moved back to eighth, while Mai remained ninth, and Joey finished out as tenth.

For the most part, the day looked like a good start for some of the duelists. Some won big time, while others struggled.

When Marie had watched Illidan win his duel, she was so proud of him. After the duel, she had walked out onto the field and gave him a big hug and a kiss. Illidan then went over to the stands with her sat down with her till her duel had come up.

Marie had dueled Mai, and won after a difficult start. That evening, the duelists all gathered for a small get together. They all talked, some bragged, some were chided, and some just left. Illidan was congratulated by almost everyone. The first to congratulate him was of course Marie.

While at the get together, Yugi walked up to Illidan and said "Congratulations Illidan. That's quite an accomplishment for your first day of dueling in the tourney."

Blushing slightly for the praise, Illidan nodded and said "Yeah, thanks Yugi. It was a tough duel. I wasn't too sure if I'd even win, but I never lost hope. And I trusted my deck, which is what won it for me really. If I hadn't of drawn Chaos Emperor Dragon when I had, I don't know what I'd have done."

"You loser, you're lucky to have won at all."

Illidan turned around to see who made the rude comment to only find Seto Kaiba standing there with his arms crossed. To say the least, he looked like he was one of those people that are always in a bad mood.

"You don't deserve that title Illidan. I'll personally make sure that you lose when you duel me. And then I'll become both the World Champion and Intercontinental Champion!" declared Seto.

Smiling, Illidan replied with "Try me anytime Seto. I promise you this, I won't let you win. I'll fight you with all that I've got and then some. So, just bring it."

Seto then stared at Illidan for a minute. It was inevitable that the clash of champions would happen sometime if Illidan and Seto retained their titles. In the history of Duel Monsters, the World Champion had never faced off with the Intercontinental Champion.

Tensions were high, but suddenly, in the middle of the tense confrontation, an announcement was made by one of the guards.

"Duelists, it's been a long evening. Mr. Kaiba would like for all of you to now return to your rooms. He wants each of you rested for tomorrow, so please now return to your rooms."

Illidan and Seto continued to stare each other down though.

At last, Seto looked away and said "Come on Mokuba , we need to go."

After a moment, Illidan started walking Marie to her room. Along the way, Illidan was lost in thought as usual. "_Seto is bent on bringing me down. He will be tough to beat, but I'll have to do it in order to win this tournament. I just have to if I want to put an end to Gozaburo's evil plot._"

"Illidan, we're here."

Waking up from his deep thoughts, Illidan looked up to notice where they were. He lightly chuckled and said "Sorry, I was lost in thought."

Smiling, Marie replied "It's ok. Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

Before he said another word, Illidan gave her a small kiss on the lips, more of a chastising kiss than anything and then said "I love you too Marie. Have a good night."

As she turned to go in her room, she smiled and said "Good night."

Once in her room, Marie sat down on her bed. She then held her hands up to her neck and started concentrating. Slowly, she then removed the concealment energy that surrounded her Millennium Necklace.

She then began the process of looking back in the past for images that would help her determine what the future would hold. She knew from her past life that events in the past seem to reoccur in the future for what seemed like an infinite loop.

When Marie had started looking back a day or so ago when she had received her Millennium Necklace again, she had found out that not only was she one of the pharaoh's chosen eight to help contain the Millennium Items evil, but Illidan was as well one. He had been the keeper of the Millennium Key and Royal Seal Master of Egypt. He also was one of the closest friends that the pharaoh had had, not to mention he was the pharaoh's brother in law in ancient times.

This was one reason that explained why Illidan was thought to be possibly one of the four duelists to win this tournament now. As usual, she began exploring all that had happened, making sure not to miss any small details.

Meanwhile, in his room, Illidan was sitting on his bed. After much debate, Illidan decided to bring his Millennium Key out of hiding. With a moment of concentration, he then had his powerful Millennium Item within sight again.

Staring at it, Illidan became lost in deep thought as usual. "_Should I go and explore this tower? If I get caught, I'll be in big trouble. But if I don't go, I might not find something out that could help us figure out what's going on._"

After sighing, he then became entangled in his thoughts once again. "_Maybe I should ask Yugi about this tournament. After all, he is carrying the spirit of the pharaoh, Yami, whom I knew quite well in ancient times. He might be able to help._"

Finally, after hearing the sound of guards walking the corridors of the hall, Illidan silently said "I'd better not go tonight. I can still hear those guards walking through the halls. Tomorrow I'll go."

Illidan then returned his Millennium Key to is concealed state. He then walked over to the computer and started checking the stats from the day. While looking at the stats, he started checking to see who he would duel the next day. No changes or decisions had been posted yet though. "_Gozaburo must be getting lazy, or he does this in the morning. Oh well, I'll find out then at least._"

Illidan finally decided he was too tired to worry about whom he facing next. After doing some usual things in the bathroom, he came back to lie down on his bed, only to quickly drift off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13: Visions of Pain

**Hey all. Hope everyone is enjoying this story so far. If you are or aren't, let me know. I like criticism, so feel free to voice your opinion. Hehe, aka, send some reviews, lol. But thank you to all who have reviewed this so far.**

**Btw, Supertoad, thank you for the nice comment. I'm glad you like my style of writing. Lol, it's slowly improving with time, hopefully, hehe. And thanks for asking about the background. As the story progresses, more and more of the background is revealed. Lol, the show was in the middle of the fourth season when I started writing on this story, which btw, I beat the movie out too with the idea of an eighth item (they stole my idea, except minus some things, hehe). But yes, there is a background to come later in the story. I hope everyone likes it.**

**Well, that is all I have so far, so I hope everyone enjoys the next chapters. And thank you all for your comments. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 13**

"Illidan!"

Illidan sat right up after roughly waking up. He was breathing heavily, drenched in sweat, and frightened beyond belief. His dream had been so real. What terrified him worse though was that it wasn't a dream, but had been a vision of the past.

In it, Illidan had seen Marie. At the time, she was the owner of the Millennium Necklace. But that wasn't the real problem he had had with the vision.

The problem had been when Gozaburo had taken possession of the Millennium Crown, making him almost invincible. Gozaburo had then announced his plan to take over Egypt by destroying the other seven Millennium Item owners. Instead of allowing this evil plan to come to reality, the seven item holders fought Gozaburo with all they had.

In the end, all of the seven were injured. Illidan himself was nearly killed by the wounds inflicted upon him by Gozaburo, but had managed to hold on. What had really bothered him though was what happened to Marie.

As she had turned to walk away from Gozaburo to check on Yami when Gozaburo rose up again and stabbed her right in the back with a dagger he had had hidden in his sleeve. Her death curdling scream was still ringing in Illidan's mind.

As he sat there, wild questions popped up throughout his mind. Had she been killed by Gozaburo in ancient Egypt? Illidan then thought for a moment about that attack Gozaburo had made. Gozaburo had stabbed her with a dagger, but maybe she had survived the attack.

Finally realizing that he had to do something to get those images out of his head, he looked at the clock. It was 6:30 A.M. once again. Everyday since he had received the Millennium Key, he woke up at this time. He was still unsure why though.

After much debate, Illidan finally decided it was time to get up. Slowly, he got out of bed and jumped into the shower. After his shower, he quickly got dressed. Grabbing some Pop-Tarts, he then went over to the computer.

After logging on, he found out who his opponent for the day was. To his great surprise, his opponent for the day was Noa Kaiba, and they were to duel in the next hour.

Deciding that he'd better make a quick check of his deck, he logged off and then ran through it quickly. Once satisfied, he then slid his deck back into his deck holder. He then ran to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Once he returned, he then grabbed his Duel Disk and his deck holder.

As he noticed the time, he quickly slid his Duel Disk on his arm and put his deck holder on his belt. Illidan then quickly walked to the elevator where the judge was standing. He then looked down the hall to see Noa running quickly towards him and the judge.

Nodding, the judge then said "Alright, both of you into the elevator."

Both Illidan and Noa then complied.

On the way up in the elevator, Illidan looked over at Noa. The young green haired boy that was before him looked rather troubled. "_I'd heard that he was Gozaburo's only real son. I wonder if it's true._" Before Illidan could ask, they had arrived at the top of the tower.

All three then stepped out of the elevator to the top of the tower. Then both Illidan and Noa stepped into the Duel Ring.

The judge then cleared his throat and started his usual speech. "Alright duelists, I want a good clean duel. Now, both of you come to the middle and shake hands." Illidan and Noa met in the middle and gently shook hands.

Smiling, Illidan then said "Good luck Noa."

Noa nodded and replied with "Good luck to you too Illidan."

"Now duelists, hand your deck to your opponent so they can shuffle your deck." ordered the judge.

Illidan then grabbed his deck from it's holder and handed it to Noa. At the same time, Noa pulled his deck from his Duel Disk slot and handed it to Illidan. Both then shuffled each others deck. Once they finished, each handed the other their decks back.

Nodding, the judge then said "Now, insert your decks into your Duel Disks." Both complied rather quickly.

"Now duelists, this duel is not only for the tournament, but it is also for your Intercontinental Title, Illidan." declared the judge.

Looking at the judge with a surprised look, he then said "Huh?"

The judge quickly replied with "You must defend it in each duel, unless specified otherwise. Now, Noa, since you have a higher rank in tournament stats, you get to choose who goes first."

After thinking for a moment, Noa then looked up and said "I'll let Illidan go first."

Nodding, the judge then said "Very well, Illidan shall go first then. Duelists, to your marks."

Slowly, both walked to the markings specifying were each duelist was to stand during the duel.

"Activate your Duel Disk and bring out your Deck Master. Then draw your first five cards and begin the duel." ordered the judge.

Both Illidan and Noa quickly fired their holographic projectors. After the projectors landed, both of their Duel Disks unfolded, and activated.

Noa then called out "Come forth my powerful Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000)." A giant blue skinned angle with six golden wings then appeared beside Noa.

Illidan stared at it for a second and then said "Come to my aid Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)." The powerful warrior in black armor then appeared beside of Illidan.

After each then drew their first five cards, they both yelled "Time to duel!"


	14. Chapter 14: Sprited Away, Part 1

**Chapter 14**

Illidan drew his first card and glanced at his hand. He held Change of Heart, Witch of the Black Forest, Pot of Greed, D.D. Warrior Lady, and D.D. Warrior Lady, plus his freshly drawn Waboku. "_Hmm, do I go defensive or offensive? Hmm, I think I'll be defensive for now._"

Clearing his throat, Illidan then said "I'll play the magic card Pot of Greed. This allows me to draw two new cards from my deck." Quickly, Illidan then drew his next two cards. He glanced at his Harpie's Feather Duster and his Thunder Nyan Nyan. Seeing the two cards made him rethink his strategy. "_Ok, the best defense is a strong offense, so it's offense time._"

"Now, I'll summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) to the field in attack mode." Suddenly his red haired drummer in her leopard leotard appeared on the field bashing some drums.

Smiling, Illidan then said "Next I'll set one card face down. That ends my turn." (Illidan 8000, Noa 8000)

Nodding, Noa said "Fine then, it's now my move. I shall set a monster. Next, I'll set two cards face down. I end my turn." (Illidan 8000, Noa 8000)

The next card Illidan drew was his favorite: his Dark Magician of Chaos. "_Awesome! Now I just need two monsters out to summon him._"

Smiling, Illidan said "I'll set a monster first, and then have Thunder Nyan Nyan attack your face down monster with Drum Basher!" The red headed monster moved lightning quick across the field towards her target. As she approached the face down card image, the card image disappeared as the monster was revealed. There sat a brown machine monster with huge shields for arms.

"You've attacked my Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (800/2200)!" called out Noa.

"Oh no, it's too strong!" Illidan cried out.

The female drummer then struck the machine monster's shield, but was thrown back by Gear Golem's powerful defensive shield.

Smirking, Noa then said "Nice try Illidan, but you'll never tear thru Gear Golem!"

Smiling, Illidan replied "We'll see about that one. I'll end my turn." (Illidan 7700, Noa 8000)

Noa then drew and smiled at his card. He then said "Alright, I'll now summon the spirit monster known as Susa Soldier (2000/1600) in attack mode." A monster with a reddish energy swirled sword then appeared. The monster had white hair and wore a little bit of armor, but not much at all.

Illidan was quick to ask "A spirit monster?"

Nodding, Seto said "Yes, but I'll get to more on that after this move. Now, I'll play the magic card Fissure. It destroys one face up monster on your side of the field that has the lowest attack points. Since you only have one face up monster, it destroys your Thunder Nyan Nyan!" Suddenly, a hand came out from under the ground and grabbed the red headed monster. She struggled to free herself, but couldn't seem to break the grasp of the hand. Then she was squeezed harder till she was destroyed by the hand.

"Susa Soldier, attack his face down monster with Spirit Sword Strike!" The white haired warrior then quickly flew across the field and swung is mighty sword at the card image.

Just as the warrior was about to strike his monster, Illidan called out "I reveal this face down card, Waboku. Now my monster is safe for one more turn, but the monster is flipped face up, so I reveal D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600)." Three mages then appeared in front of the soldier, stopping the attack. Behind them, a blonde headed female warrior in grey, black, and white armor appeared on the field in a one knee position.

Smirking, Noa calmly said "Your monster maybe safe for now, but not for too much longer. Now, I'll play the magic card known as Spring of Rebirth. Now, since it's the end of my turn, my Susa Soldier returns to my hand…."

"You can't do that. Monsters don't just return to your hand." interrupted Illidan.

Slightly chuckling, Noa responded with "True, but this one does. You see, spirit monsters have the ability to return to their owner's hand at the end of their turn. So, my monster now returns. And his return triggers my magic cards effect. Spring of Rebirth's special effect is that when a monster returns to my hand, I gain 500 life points. So, I now gain 500 life points. I end my turn now." (Illidan 7700, Noa 8500)

Illidan drew his next card and studied the card he had drawn. He quickly realized though that Beta the Magnet Warrior would not help currently. "_Only one thing can take down that Gear Golem, and that's my Dark Magician of Chaos. Now, I just need to get another monster out somehow and make a double sacrifice. Wait, I see what to do. I'll just play Change of Heart and sacrifice his monster with mine. Now I've got him!_"

Smiling, Illidan said "Watch this move Noa! I play the magic card Change of Heart, which allows me to take control of your Gear…"

Quickly interrupting, Noa said "Sorry Illidan, but that won't be happening! I activate my face down trap known as Spell Shield Type – 8! This allows me to negate the magic card targeting my monster and then destroy it. Nice try though Illidan."

Slightly growling, Illidan said "I set a monster in defense then. That ends my turn." (Illidan 7700, Noa 8500)

"My move then, and first I'll reveal my face down trap known as Ultimate Offering. This allows me to have an extra normal summon or set a monster at a cost of 500 life points. So, I'll now summon Susa Soldier (2000/1600) in attack mode!" Once again the white haired warrior reappeared on the field, swinging his sword into an attacking position.

"Next I'll use my Ultimate Offering trap. I give up 500 life points to summon another spirit monster known as Inaba White Rabbit (700/500) in attack mode." A little white rabbit sitting on a rocket appeared on the field, right beside the white haired warrior.

"Now, Inaba, direct attack his life points with Rocket Blast Off!" commanded Noa. The rocket the rabbit was sitting on then came to life and lifted off with the rabbit hanging on. The rabbit then started zooming all around the field, making Illidan constantly keep looking for it.

"Look behind you!" called Noa just as Inaba smacked him hard in his lower back. Illidan about fell over, but somehow remained standing. Then the white rabbit returned to his launching spot back on Noa's side of the field. Suddenly Noa's life points started going up.

Smirking, Noa asked "Did you like that Illidan? What's that, you're speechless I see. Oh yeah, if you haven't already noticed, my Deck Master's special ability allows me to absorb the life points you lost. So, thanks to Shinato, I get stronger while you get weaker. Susa Soldier, attack his face down monster with Spirit Sword Strike!" The white haired warrior then quickly leaped into battle and easily slashed the card image in half with his sword. An image of a purple haired woman with black hair then appeared as she cried out and then exploded.

Noa was quick to ask "What's that?"

Smiling, Illidan replied "That's my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200). Thanks to that attack, I'm now able to move one monster with 1500 or less defense from my deck and add it to my hand." Quickly fanning out his deck, Illidan finally decided on picking his Jinzo. "_That should be more than enough to break thru his Gear Golem the Moving Fortress._"

Smirking, Noa said "Alright, now I'll place one card face down. Next, both my Inaba White Rabbit and Susa Soldier return to my hand thus triggering my Spring of Rebirth, which gives me 1000 life points. That shall end my turn." (Illidan 7000, Noa 9700)

"_Darn, he keeps raising his life points. I've got to get something out to get some of those life points off of him._" Slowly, Illidan drew his next card and saw it was Ring of Destruction. "_Not much help at the moment if I summon Jinzo._"

Illidan then looked up and said "Alright, now it's time for me to turn this duel around. I'll …"

Before he could get any further, Noa interrupted, saying "Not so fast Illidan! I activate the trap card known as Raigeki Break! After I discard one card from my hand, I can destroy any card I wish on the field. And the card I'll destroy is your D.D. Warrior Lady! So, I'll now discard my Mystical Elf (800/2000) from my hand. Now, watch as your warrior goes bye bye!" Suddenly blue lightening streaked down from the sky and struck the female warrior, easily destroying her.

Illidan started growling slightly at the destruction of his monster. "_Darn, there goes another good monster to my Graveyard._"

Smirking, Noa said "You look upset Illidan. Don't worry, I'll take care of that soon enough. Now, continue your move."

Sighing, Illidan said "I'll set one card face down. Then I set a monster. That ends my turn." (Illidan 7000, Noa 9700)

"_Let's just see him try to use his little Inaba attack again. With Ring of Destruction down, I'll destroy it as soon as he plays it._"

Noa drew and then said "Hmm, I don't like how your face down card looks Illidan, so I'll play the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, allowing me to destroy your face down card." A powerful typhoon then flew across the field at the face down card.

Illidan cried out "No!"

When the typhoon was near, Illidan quickly said "I won't waste this card Noa. I chain your move with my trap, Ring of Destruction! And I'll use it on your Gear Golem the Moving Fortress! By the way, when a monster is selected to be targeted by Ring of Destruction, that monster is destroyed and we each take damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points!" A large ring with explosives attached to it's side then appeared on the field. Then it began to spin fast as it flew across the field. I then slipped over the brown machines neck. The explosives then ignited, causing the machine monster to be destroyed. Pieces of the exploding monster then struck both Illidan and Noa, doing damage to each others life points.

Smirking at this, Noa said "Not bad Illidan, but that's the last 800 life points you'll cost me! Now I'll play the magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. Next, I'll play the magic card known as Dark Hole, destroying all monsters on the field, but since there is only your face down monster out, it goes!" A large black hole then appeared on the field, sucking up the weaker face down monster, which was revealed to be D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600).

"_Not good! Now I'm defenseless._"

Smirking once again, Noa continued, saying "Now that that is taken care of, I summon my Susa Soldier (2000/1600) in attack mode once again." The white haired warrior once again graced the field as he swung his powerful sword.

"I now invoke my Ultimate Offering and summon Inaba White Rabbit (700/500) in attack mode!" The powerful white rabbit then reappeared on the field. It's rocket was steaming, showing it's readiness to take off and fight.

"Next, I'll invoke my Ultimate Offering one more time to set a monster. Susa Soldier, direct attack Illidan's life points with Spirit Sword Strike!" Quickly the white haired warrior ran across the field and slashed Illidan with his large sword. Illidan was shaken up, but he didn't go down to his knees. "_That one smarts._"

Smirking, Noa than said "Now, you'll only lose 1000 life points since Susa Soldier's special effect cuts the damage he does in half. Inaba, direct attack him now with Rocket Blast Off!" The white rabbit then hit the sky as it's his rocket caused him to zigzag across the field once again. He then suddenly appeared behind Illidan and struck him in the back, just like last time.

Illidan cried out in pain this time and fell to one knee. "_Ok, this must be the duel where I get my butt handed to me._"

Laughing, Noa then said "That must hurt Illidan. You're so pathetic! Now, I'll return my two spirit monsters to my hand, and then gain an additional 1000 life points thanks to my Spring of Rebirth magic card. That's it for my turn." (Illidan 4500, Noa 11000)

"_If he keeps this up, he'll be too strong to stop. I know my deck has something to hold off his powerful spirit monsters. Heart of the Cards, please, guide me._" Illidan then stood up and drew his next card. He then smiled at his newly drawn card.

Smiling, Illidan said "Alright Noa, you've had your fun, but it's time I take control of this duel. I now remove my Witch of the Black Forest and D.D. Warrior Lady from the Graveyard to my removed from play pile. Now I can special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500) in attack mode!" A powerful black dragon with orange hair then appeared. It stretched out it's powerful wings and then let out a mighty roar. Noa had a frightened look on his face when he started staring into the eyes of the mighty dragon.

Continuing, Illidan said "Now that my dragon is here, this duel is going to start turning around. Next I'll summon my Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600) in attack mode." A yellow magnet looking creature appeared on the field right beside the powerful black dragon.

Smiling, Illidan said "Time to take that face down monster down. Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack his face down monster with Chaos Blaster!" The mighty black dragon roared as it reared back it's head and let loose a powerful blast of black energy from it's mouth. As the blast was about the strike the face down card, the card image was replaced by a huge rock soldier known as Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000). Easily, the dragon's blast crushed right through the stone soldier.

"Now my Deck Master's special ability is triggered. Since my monster destroyed one of your monsters, my dragon is allowed to attack a second time. Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack Noa directly with you Chaos Blaster!" Once again, the black dragon roared and released it's devastating blast. The blast struck Noa hard, making him scream out in pain. A huge plume smoke appeared from the impact of the blast. Once the smoke cleared, Noa was laying on his back.

After a moment, Noa slowly got back up. Struggling to speak, he finally said "Impressive Illidan, but I'm not done yet."

Nodding, Illidan said "Yeah, I'm sure you're not, but then again, neither am I. Beta the Magnet Warrior, direct attack his life points with Magnetic Polarity Punch!" The yellow magnet creature let out a soft moan as it flew straight at Noa. It then landed a huge magnet punch into Noa's midsection, making Noa double over, but he didn't fall. He only stood there panting instead.

Smiling, Illidan said "Now, I'll end my turn." (Illidan 4500, Noa 6300)


	15. Chapter 15: Spirited Away, Part 2

**Chapter 15**

Panting slightly still, Noa finally said "I'm not done yet Illidan. Watch this move. First, I'll move my Deck Master to the field. That means Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000) is now in play." The large blue skinned angel then slowly moved to the center of Noa's field of the field.

As Illidan watched the large angel slowly move to the field, only one thought came to mind. "_Not good!_"

Smiling, Noa said "Next I'll play the magic card called Card of Sanctity, which allows us both to draw till we each hold six cards in our hands. Now I'll play the magic card Monster Reborn, bringing back my Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000)." The huge stone warrior then returned to the field and stood tall.

"Next I'll bring back my Mystical Elf (800/2000) by playing the magic card Premature Burial." A blue skinned elf with blonde hair and a green set of robes then appeared on the field.

Smirking, Noa then continued saying "Of course, Premature Burial costs me 800 life points, but that won't matter in the end. Now, I'll sacrifice both my Mystical Elf and Giant Soldier of Stone to summon my Yamata Dragon (2600/3100) in attack mode!" A brown limbless dragon with twelve heads then appeared on the field. The dragon looked more like a twelve headed snake than anything though, seeing how it's heads had their tongues sticking in and out like snakes.

Illidan only watched in shock and only had a simple thought. "_Great, this gets worse and worse for me._"

"Next I'll use my Ultimate Offering to summon Inaba White Rabbit (700/500) and Susa Soldier (2000/1600), both in attack mode!" The rocket riding rabbit and the white haired warrior then each reappeared on the field, looking ready to strike.

"Now to take care of your pathetic monsters. Attack his dragon my Shinato with Cosmic Halo!" The blue skinned angel then raised his hands, causing several small orbs to form in the air. They then began to rotate in a circle, creating what looked like a buzz saw. The angel then pushed his hands out, causing the buzz saw to fly at the powerful black dragon. Even though it was weaker, the dragon stood it's ground as the saw sliced right threw it.

Smiling, Noa then said "Your Beta the Magnet Warrior is next, so Susa Soldier, take it down with Spirit Sword Strike!" The white haired warrior quickly then sliced the yellow magnet warrior in half easily with his sword.

"Now it's time to give you a major hit. Strike his life points directly Yamata Dragon with Ancient Flame, and Inaba strike his life points with Rocket Blast Off!" The large twelve headed dragon then fired a ball of fire each, which formed into a huge ball of fire. The blast hit Illidan hard and caused him to hit the ground. As Illidan was trying to stand, the white rabbit on the rocket blasted off and smacked him hard again, knocking him back down to the ground.

Chuckling, Noa said "Now my spirit monsters return to my hand. Also, I gain 500 for each that returns to my hand thanks to Spring of Rebirth. That shall end my turn." (Illidan 750, Noa 8250)

Illidan lay still for a few long moments. He was in so much pain. The pain of getting hit by Yamata Dragon was the worst, but to add insult to injury, Inaba had to hit him too. He laid there for what seemed forever, just panting, trying to find the strength to get up.

"What's the matter Illidan? Finally giving up? It's pointless for you to get up. I'm stronger than you, so stay down." mocked Noa.

With great difficulty, Illidan finally got up. In his mind, he knew he could win. "_I can't give up! My friends and the world are depending on me! I just can't give up!_"

After finally catching his breath, Illidan said "Sorry Noa, but I'm not done yet. This duel is far from over."

Sighing, Noa then replied "Don't give me that speech Illidan. You're finished. Just accept your defeat and move on."

Illidan quickly replied with "Never, cause I know that too many people are relying on me to win. And if I give up now, they will be in great danger. I can't quit, cause that's not an option. Now, pay close attention to my move."

Looking at his deck, Illidan knew he had to draw something good now. "_Heart of the cards, help me._" Illidan then drew his Graceful Charity. "_There's only one way to beat Noa now. I must destroy Shinato. If I can do that, then he will be beaten. Hopefully, this move will give me the opportunity I'm looking for._"

"I play the magic card Graceful Charity, which allows me to draw three new cards from my deck, but I must discard two from my hand." Illidan then quickly drew his three cards. It was the three he needed to turn things around.

Smiling, he said "For Graceful Charity's effect, I'll discard Gamma the Magnet Warrior and Alpha the Magnet Warrior."

In an annoyed voice, Noa said "Whatever. Just hurry up."

Lightly chuckling, Illidan then said "Thanks to me sending my two magnet warriors to the Graveyard, I can now do this. I send Valkyrion the Magna Warrior to the Graveyard, in order to special summon my three magnet warriors from the Graveyard to the field. So return Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700), Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600), and Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800)." Three magnet looking creatures all reappeared on the field. There was the yellow one with magnet hands, then a grey one with a magnet shield and sword, and finally a pink one with wings.

Raising an eyebrow, Noa said "I'm unsure what you're up to, but I doubt it will work. Each of those monsters are far too weak to take down my powerful Shinato."

Lightly chuckling again, Illidan replied "Well, you may thank it's unwise, but watch this. I now play the magic card known as Monster Reborn, allowing me to bring back Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850) in attack mode!" Suddenly, a giant magnet creature appeared. It looked like a combo of all three of the magnet warriors. The worst thing was, at least for Noa, that it had more attack points then Shinato.

Gasping, Noa cried out "No! This can't be possible!"

"It is really possible Noa! And I'm not done yet. Next I'll sacrifice both Alpha and Gamma to summon my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)!" Without warning, a powerful mage, dressed in black tight fitting battle armor and wielding a rather powerful looking staff appeared. Noa's face now showed great fear.

"That's not all Noa. Thanks to me summoning my Dark Magician of Chaos, I'm allowed to return one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand. And I'll pick Monster Reborn to return. Next I'll play Monster Reborn again, allowing me to bring back my Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" The large black dragon then returned to the field, making it's presence known by letting out a terrifying roar.

"And to make sure you don't try something on your next turn, I'll play the magic card Harpie's Feather Duster, destroying all your magic and trap cards." A set of tornados then formed and destroyed all of Noa's magic and trap cards that were on the field.

Looking straight into Noa's frightened eyes, Illidan said "Noa, it's time. Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, destroy his Shinato with Manga Slash!" The powerful large warrior let out a moan and charged across the field straight at Shinato. Quickly, the magna warrior brought his sword up and sliced the blue skinned angel in half, causing a huge explosion.

As the explosion was happening, Noa cried out "I activate Reversal!" Suddenly, the explosion was over and Shinato reappeared in his original Deck Master position.

Shocked, Illidan said "What happened Noa?"

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Noa explained, saying "It's simple Illidan. I used Shinato's second Deck Master ability. It allows me to recall Shinato to his Deck Master position whenever he's about to be destroyed. But the trade off is he can no longer be brought to the field through out the remainder of the duel."

Nodding, Illidan replied "That's fine with me. Chaos Emperor Dragon, Dark Magician of Chaos, and Beta the Magnet Warrior, direct attack Noa with Chaos Blaster, Chaos Slice, and Magnetic Polarity Punch!" All three monsters quickly fired their attacks at Noa, each striking him harder than the other. The three blasts combined forced Noa to land about five feet away from where he was standing. After the smoke cleared from the explosions, Noa slowly stood back up. He struggled to stand, but somehow remained standing on shaking legs.

"That shall end my turn." (Illidan 750, Noa 550)

Still panting, Noa finally said "You'll pay for your move Illidan. Now I'll play a monster in defense and end my turn." (Illidan 750, Noa 550)

Illidan quickly drew his card and looked at his D.D. Warrior Lady. "_My last D.D. Warrior Lady. I'll play it so if there's some kind of monster on his field that stops me, I'll be able to take it down._"

Illidan calmly said "Alright, prepare for the end Noa. I summon D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in attack mode." The female warrior then appeared on the field with her white, black, and grey armor. She then grabbed her sword hilt and drew it from it's sheath.

"Now, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack Noa's monster with Magna Slash!" The large magna warrior then quickly swung his mighty sword at the face down card image, forcing a small grim reaper like creature to appear. A scythe then defended the small creature, keeping it from being destroyed. The small monster was known as Spirit Reaper (300/200).

Laughing, Noa said "Now you can't strike my life points!"

Smirking, Illidan replied "I wouldn't count on it Noa. D.D. Warrior Lady, attack his Spirit Reaper with Dimension Sword Slash!" Obeying quickly, the female warrior quickly leaped across the field and struck the grim reaper like monster with her sword. Again, like with Valkyrion's attack, the attack was blocked by the scythe.

Chuckling, Noa said mockingly "I told you that you can't strike my life points already. Why waste your move?"

Lightly chuckling himself, Illidan responded "Cause, now I can do this. I now activate D.D. Warrior Lady's special effect. I can remove her from play along with the monster she attacked or was attacked by. Now, use Dimensional Rift!"

"No!" cried out Noa.

Suddenly a small rift in the sky opened. The female warrior then grabbed onto the grim reaper like creature and both started to fly into the sky towards the rift. Finally, both were sucked in, thus closing the rift.

Smiling, Illidan then said "Now, to finish this duel. Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack Noa with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The mage nodded and then fired a powerful blast of black energy directly at Noa, knocking Noa down to one knee. His Duel Disk then powered down, showing that Illidan had finally won.

The judge then announced "Illidan Stormrage is the winner of this duel and retains the Intercontinental Title."

Illidan smiled, knowing it had been a hard fought victory.

Noa then got up and walked over to Illidan. Smiling, he said "Congratulations Illidan." Noa was as well extending his hand to Illidan. Illidan gladly took it and shook it.

Smiling, Illidan said "Excellent duel Noa."

"Thanks."

The judge then interrupted, saying "Now duelists, if you'll please clear the ring, we well begin preparations for the other duels of the morning."

Both Illidan and Noa got off the main stage and headed to the crowd.

From his office, Gozaburo showed great signs of disappointment.

He growled as he said "I can't believe Illidan beat Noa! He will be tougher to break than I thought, but no matter. I'll have Seto do my dirty work for me in the next round. Muwhahaha!"


	16. Chapter 16: Step Father and Son

**Chapter 16  
**  
While waiting for Seto in his office, Gozaburo began checking the day's stats. Seto had won his duel with Bakura. Yugi had won his duel against Mai Valentine.

Chuckling, Gozaburo silently said "Seems the pharaoh is quite skilled as well. I wouldn't expect anything else from him though."

Next Gozaburo noticed Marie had won her duel with Joey. Illidan had of course won his duel with Noa.

Growling, Gozaburo said "That fool Noa was supposed to stop Illidan. Illidan is growing in confidence, and I must break him soon. I'm not even sure what Millennium Item he has. I need to know. The same for Marie. Those two both conceal their items, but that's alright. I'll find out soon enough."

The last duel that had happened was Marik winning his duel over Keith.

The new stats showed the following: 1st Yugi Moto, 2nd Seto Kaiba, 3rd Marik Ishtar, 4th Illidan Stormrage, 5th Marie O'Dell, 6th Noa Kaiba, 7th Bakura Ryou, 8th Bandit Keith, 9th Mai Valentine, and 10th Joey Wheeler.

Laughing, Gozaburo said "I'll have to break Illidan with Seto tomorrow. Once Illidan faces the Egyptian God, Obelisk the Tormentor, he'll lose! It's a perfect plan. Muwhahahaha!"

Suddenly, Gozaburo's door was kicked open without even the slightest sign of knocking. There stood Seto, Gozaburo's adopted son with a look on his face that could kill.

Grumpily, Seto said "I don't have time for you Gozaburo. What do you want, and make it fast!"

Chuckling, Gozaburo responded "Gee, you're in a good mood. Don't you have the respect to ask how you're dear old step father is?"

Seto quickly spat back "I don't care if you go curl up and die."

Laughing, Gozaburo said "Well, I see you're as cheerful as ever. Take a seat, and I'll explain why I called you in here."

"I'll stand." responded Seto.

Shrugging, Gozaburo said "Fine then. I called you here to tell you that you will be facing off against Illidan tomorrow."

In a rather irritated voice, Seto replied "So?"

"It will be a title vs. title duel. It will be your World Championship vs. Illidan's Intercontinental Championship." continued Gozaburo.

Again, Seto responded grumpily "Should I really care?"

Slightly annoyed, Gozaburo said "Yes, you should, cause the winner will become both the World Champion and Intercontinental Champion."

Slightly smiling, Seto said "Ah, I see. So, the winner is going to be a double champion. Still, why should I care?"

Growling cause of Seto's irritating questions, Gozaburo responded with "Cause I want you to break Illidan in half! Destroy him thoroughly for me!"

Laughing, Seto said "Listen pops, I don't do what you say anymore. At one time, maybe, but never again. So you can forget me following your orders. I'll destroy Illidan in our duel tomorrow, but I won't do it for you. I'll do it for me, and me only."

Irritated, Gozaburo replied "Fine then. That is all I wished to talk to you about."

Turning to leave, Seto said "Good, cause I'm leaving. Also, you'd better return my throne back to Kaiba Corp. before I get home. If it's not returned, I'll return and take it by force. Remember, you are the weak one here, not me!"

Before Gozaburo could respond, Seto walked out the door, and slammed it.

Laughing evilly, Gozaburo said "That fool has no idea that the only powerful one here is me! I'll enjoy sending him to the Shadow Realm after I dispose of the others, muwahahaha!"


	17. Chapter 17: Reunion of BrotherInLaws

**Hey all. Well, I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I know some of the earlier chapters are a bit short, but the further in, the chapters get very long. If anyone has questions, or wants to just comment, feel free to review. I'm more than happy to answer any burning questions. By the way, if everyone hadn't noticed, the past did deviate from the show a bit. More on the past is revealed later though, for a few chapters are even written to just go into it. Well, for now, enjoy the chapters, and as I say, feel free to ask me about the story if you want, or to just comment. Hehe, I enjoy good and bad criticism.**

**Chapter 17**

In the dinning hall that night, Illidan sat talking to Yugi and his friends, along with Marie of course. Joey was complaining to everyone about his bad luck in the tournament so far.

"Man, I can't win a duel if I wanted to. This sucks! I need some serious injection of good luck!" cried out Joey.

Smiling, Mai then grabbed Joey in a head lock and started giving him a noogie and said "I wouldn't be complaining about it Joey. I haven't won yet either, and neither has Bakura or Bandit Keith, but Keith's just a loser anyways. Honey, you need to calm down!"

The others all laughed at Joey's predicament, but he allowed it. Finally, he did start to struggle and escaped Mai's grasp. He then proceeded to straighten his hair back out, to a semi normal look.

After a few more hours of talking, everyone finally decided to go back to their rooms. As Yugi was about to leave, Illidan asked him to stay so they could talk. Yugi nodded that he would. After kissing Marie good night, Illidan then walked over to where Yugi sat.

After sitting down, Illidan looked at Yugi and said "Yugi, I've got to ask you something."

Smiling, Yugi said "What Illidan?"

Sitting there, trying desperately to think of what to say, Illidan became lost in his thoughts. "_Gee, what do I say? Do I just come out and say 'Hey, are you Yami?' That would sound so dumb. But I don't know what else to really say._"

Sighing, Illidan finally said "Yugi, does your Millennium Puzzle have powers?"

Yugi just looked at Illidan with an odd stare, unsure of what to say. In his mind, he was lost in thought as well. "If I told Illidan, then would it matter?" he thought to himself.

At last, Yugi replied "You could say Illidan."

Satisfied with that answer, Illidan then asked "Ok, this might be another dumb question, but do you house the spirit of the pharaoh known as Yami?"

Yugi now was unsure of what to make of this new question. Curiously, he asked Illidan "How do you know about Yami?"

Smiling slightly, Illidan replied "We met long ago, and I hope he still knows me."

Mentally communicating to Yami, Yugi asked "_Yami, do you know him?_"

Looking carefully at Illidan, Yami finally said "_He looks familiar, but I'm not sure. My memories are incomplete still, so I'm unsure._"

Mentally nodding, Yugi replied "_True. Should I tell him about you? It could be dangerous._"

After a moment, Yami responded, "_I don't sense any danger with him, nor do I sense any evil. No, let's have him explain himself first._"

Seeing that most likely Yami and Yugi were mentally talking, Illidan said "In case you're wondering how I know about Yami, I'll tell you. You see, me and him were once best friends five millennia ago in ancient Egypt. Also, we were brother in laws by marriage."

Shocked at what he'd just heard, Yugi said "What do you mean you two were brother in laws and best friends? You're not five millennia old, are you? Or do you house the spirit of someone from that time, or do you have a Millennium Item, or do you…"

Smiling at Yugi's constant rambling and attempt to reason this situation out, Illidan calmly then raised his hands up to his chest and slightly concentrated. The Millennium Key then appeared around his neck.

Shocked once again, Yugi blurted out "The Millennium Key!"

Lightly chuckling, Illidan replied "Yes, it is the Millennium Key. I was it's original owner five millennia ago."

Still shocked, Yugi asked "But how? Shadi is the owner of that item! He always has been, and he said he's had it for five millennia!"

Smiling, Illidan calmly replied "True, he did possess it for five millennia, but only because I asked him to keep it for me till I was reincarnated. And he did his job, and confronted me a day before we left for the tournament. There he dueled me and when I won, I received the Millennium Key. Once receiving the Millennium Key, my memories of the past have been reawakened, and I'm remembering more and more of the past each day. He also told me that this tournament was really Gozaburo's way of unlocking the power of the Millennium Crown."

Nodding, Yugi said "I see."

Mentally, he then said to Yami "_Maybe you should talk to him. He seems to be telling the truth, at least I hope._"

Yami then replied "_Alright, I'll talk to him. Maybe talking with him will help reawaken some of my memories._"

Yugi then stood up and cried out "Yu-gi-oh!" Suddenly, the Millennium Puzzle glowed and Yugi was enveloped in a blinding light. The light momentarily blinded Illidan, and when Illidan could see again, he noticed Yugi looked different. He was taller and his hair was spikier than before. Now his eyes were a deeper shade of purple as well.

Remembering the person he had seen in his visions that had been called Yami, Illidan now realized that this was the true pharaoh. Humbly, Illidan then got down on one knee and slightly bowed to Yami. Yami stood there for a moment, just staring at Illidan in disbelief when something deep in his memory was reawakened, allowing him to remember a few things about Illidan.

Sighing, Yami said "Do you still have to bow to me after I've told you a million times to stop!"

Chuckling, Illidan stayed where he was. At last, Yami finally said "Arise, you know you don't have to bow to me ever."

Smiling, Illidan stood and said "My pharaoh, my friend, my brother, it's been so long since we've seen one another."

Nodding, Yami replied "Yes, it has Illidan. But are you the true reincarnation of Illidan Stormrage from five millennia ago?"

Illidan then nodded, saying "I am truly his reincarnation. I remember that it was prophesied that we would all return one day in one form or another. Also, I am slowly regaining my memories of the past. I've recovered a good bit of them, but I'm still trying to recover them all. They're still locked away within my mind, but the Millennium Key is slowly revealing each memory to me.

Yami nodded and replied "I see. Some of my memories have just reawakened too, mostly about you. I wonder why though. From what I understand, I erased my own memories back in ancient times."

Smiling, Illidan said "Could be due that we were such good friends in ancient times, not to mention we were brother in laws."

Nodding again, Yami responded with "That would explain why my memories have been released due to seeing you again."

Sighing, Yami said "It has been so long Illidan."

Yami then walked over to Illidan and they shook hands and gave one another a hug. Both laughed, and then started talking about current events. After a while, Illidan decided it was time to get down to business.

Calmly asking, Illidan said "Yami, do you know about the Millennium Necklace's prophesies on this tournament?"

Shaking his head, Yami replied "No, I don't. Tell me about them."

Slowly, Illidan said "From what I understand that Shadi told me, the owner of the Millennium Necklace…"

Yami quickly cut him off, saying "You mean Ishizu?"

Shrugging, Illidan said "I guess, seeing how I didn't know who had the item. Anyways, from what he said, that item holder has gazed into the future five times. Twice she saw me dueling Gozaburo. The other three times she saw Marie, Marik, and you."

Frowning, Yami asked "Why Marie?"

Sighing due to the fact that he kind of knew, Illidan said "I'm not entirely sure. From what I can remember, she was there in ancient Egypt with us. Me and her were in love in the past as well, so that maybe why."

Then continuing, Illidan said "Anyways, one of the four of us are to save the world. The only thing is, she has no idea who will win."

Both Illidan and Yami sighed at this, for not knowing if either were the true ones to fight Gozaburo was hard to think about.

Finally, Yami said "At least we know one thing. More than likely, it's up to the four of us to win this tournament."

Suddenly, the loud speakers buzzed to life as one of the guards said "Duelists, it is time to return to your rooms for the night."

Sighing, Illidan said "Well Yami, I guess it's time we went to our rooms. My original idea was to sneak out of my room with the use of my Millennium Key to go meet you, but I decided not to since we were able to meet tonight."

Curiously asking, Yami said "You have control over your item already?"

Nodding, Illidan replied with "Yeah, I learned while getting ready for the boat ride here. It was fun to say the least."

Smiling, Yami said "I bet it was. We'd better go though. I'll see you tomorrow Illidan."

Nodding, Illidan then started to turn to leave, but decided to annoy Yami one last time. He then bowed once again in front of Yami.

Irritated, Yami cried out "Illidan, STOP THAT!"

Laughing, Illidan got up and said "Couldn't resist. Good luck, my old friend."

Illidan then left for his room, leaving a slightly steamed Yami. After a moment, Yami finally chuckled to himself and made his way to his own room.


	18. Chapter 18: Visions and Questions

**Chapter 18  
**  
The next morning, Illidan awoke in yet another cold sweat. His vision from the night had shown him what had happened at the end of the battle with Gozaburo over the Millennium Crown. Marie had just been stabbed by Gozaburo in the back. She was lying there, possibly dying. Illidan had slowly dragged himself to her side. He checked her wound and soon realized the wound wasn't fatal. Gozaburo had luckily missed all her vital organs.

Now driven by an extreme anger and will to stop Gozaburo no matter what, he jumped up and charged Gozaburo. Illidan punched and kicked wildly at Gozaburo, desperately trying to hit him. Gozaburo though was slowly backing up, dodging each advance Illidan made.

Finally, Illidan quickly made a sweeping ground kick that knocked Gozaburo off his feet. Once on the ground, Illidan quickly grabbed his Millennium Key and pointed it straight at Gozaburo's head. He then thrust all his power and then some into the key. Illidan knew he was pouring more power than he should into the Millennium Key, but it was his only chance to hopefully defeat Gozaburo.

Luckily for him, it was enough, for Gozaburo was sent to the Shadow Realm. Knowing that it wouldn't take long for him to recover if he still had the Millennium Crown on, Illidan quickly kicked the crown off of Gozaburo's head, making it roll away till it landed with a clang.

Satisfied that Gozaburo couldn't return, Illidan slowly started walking towards Marie, only to fall to the ground before he got there. He then slowly crawled to her side and saw that she was still unconscious. Illidan carefully wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, and started crying, knowing that she had suffered for nothing. Even though he had many wounds on his body, he was oblivious to them. Only Marie mattered to him, not his own pain. Soon enough he passed out from his own pain and the vision then ended.

When Illidan awoke, he looked down to see that the Millennium Key was glowing. Why it was showing him such painful memories of his past life he just didn't know.

"_Could it be possible that Marie was as well reincarnated? And could it also be possible that Gozaburo, the one of the past, escaped the Shadow Realm and got reincarnated too? I just wish I had an idea of what to think. So many questions need answered. I need to talk to Ishizu, and soon._"

Illidan then got up out of bed and began his usual morning activities. He first showered and then ate. While eating, he looked at the clock to discover it was 5:30 A.M. "_Only 5:30 A.M.!_"

Sighing, he then continued to slowly eat. After he finished, he then looked on his computer to see who he would duel during the day.

With a shocked look on his face, he cried out "A title vs. title duel! It's me vs. Seto! Wow, this should be interesting!"

Thinking for a second, Illidan then remembered that in ancient times, he was friends with a sorcerer that looked exactly like Seto. His name was Set, and they had dueled quite a few times.

"_Set controlled the Millennium Rod back in ancient times. I wonder if it is possible that Seto is the reincarnation of Set? They have the same looks, but does he remember who he is? I can't rule it out the possibility that he could be Set, especially since he can control an Egyptian God Card._"

Bringing himself out of his deep thoughts, he quietly said "I better check my deck."

He then ran through his deck quickly. Everything seemed in order. Once finished, Illidan decided he needed to go see Ishizu immediately so he could figure out some of his questions.

While he quickly grabbed his Duel Disk and set it on a table near the door, he silently said "I have to see her. Better go now, before it's too late."

Slowly, he cracked his door open to view the hall. It was still just 5:45 A.M., most likely it was too early for anyone to be up. Illidan looked down the hall and saw a guard patrolling.

"_Great, now what?_"

Then he remembered he had the Millennium Key, making him silently chuckle to his own stupidity. Quickly, he brought it out of it's concealment and concentrated, making himself invisible. As before during his practicing, a cloak of darkness enveloped him, allowing him to become invisible.

Silently, he opened his door and quietly shut it. Carefully, he then walked down the hall to Ishizu's room. Illidan then quickly checked the door to see if it was locked or not. To his surprise, it wasn't. He then opened it and entered, making sure to quietly shut the door behind him without any noise. He then walked towards where the bedroom was, hoping she at least had some cloths on.

"_Oh please be decent. I don't want to walk in on some girl with nothing on, although it would be entertaining and all, but still, I would rather dislike doing that to someone._"

Illidan silently walked into the bedroom where he saw Ishizu sitting on the bed. "_Phew, she's decent at least._"

Looking up, Ishizu said "Who is there?"

Illidan quickly realized she could somehow sense him possibly, or possibly she heard the door open and shut. Either way, Illidan quickly released the veil of darkness around himself to make him visible once again.

Smiling, Ishizu said "Ah, so it's you Illidan. I see Shadi gave you your item back as he said he would."

Nodding, Illidan replied "Yes, he did. He returned it to me before the tournament."

Smiling, she said "Good, then all is going according to what I foresaw."

Frowning, Illidan asked "What do you mean?"

"It was Shadi's job to return you the Millennium Key that you entrusted to him five millennia ago. I had seen this by gazing into the future and past with my Millennium Necklace, and discovered that you were the true owner of the Millennium Key."

Nodding, Illidan then said "I've got a few questions for you. I need to know …"

Before he could say anymore, Ishizu shook her head and said "I'm sorry, but I can no longer answer your questions about the future or the past."

Puzzled, Illidan asked "Why not?"

She then pointed to her bare neck, saying "I no longer hold that power since I gave my Millennium Necklace away."

Shocked, Illidan blurted out "What? What do you mean you gave it away? And who did you give it away to?"

Smiling, Ishizu replied "I gave my item to it's rightful owner."

Illidan quickly asked "Rightful owner?"

Lightly chuckling, Ishizu replied "You know of the one whom I speak of. After all, since you are slowly regaining your memories of the past, you should know by now who the true owner of the Millennium Necklace was in ancient Egypt."

Thinking for a moment, he said "You don't mean that you returned the item to Marie, do you?"

Nodding, Ishizu replied "Ah, so your memories are being fully restored. Yes, it's true. Marie was the original owner of the Millennium Necklace, and now once again possesses it."

Sighing, Illidan then asked "Ishizu, you told Shadi that I was possibly one of the four to save the world. Why is Marie, Yami, Marik, and me the all possibly able to save the world? Is it our items, and if it is, then why?"

Sighing herself, Ishizu responded "I can't explain Illidan. I was shown those visions when I gazed into the future. There was one problem though. The future was not revealed to me past where the duel starts between the one destined duelist and Gozaburo."

Folding his arms across the chest and sighing, Illidan said "I see. So, you don't know for sure what is going to happen then. That does answer one question, but now I have new questions."

With a small sign of sadness, Ishizu replied "I can't answer them Illidan. You must now ask Marie, not me. She holds all the answers of the future and of the past."

Sighing, Illidan nodded his head and said "I understand. Thank you Ishizu."

Smiling, she said "It was no problem. I wish you luck and wish I could answer more questions, but as I said, I have no way to answer them now. Hopefully things will turn out alright, but I have no idea. Like Battle City, I had no idea what is going to happen. I can only say what I think should happen."

Turning to leave, Illidan said "Alright. Well, thank you, and good bye."

As he was leaving, he heard Ishizu say "Good luck with the rest of the tournament."

Turning back, he smiled and replied "Thanks."

With that, Illidan then became cloaked once again and left Ishizu's room. Quietly, he walked back to his room and silently shut his door. Once inside, he hid his Millennium Key once again and noticed it was 7:30 A.M.

Grabbing his Duel Disk and deck, Illidan headed toward the Duel Tower's elevator. He arrived early for a second day in a row. Not long after his arrival, Seto showed up.

Smirking, Seto said "So, you had the guts to show up after all."

Smiling, Illidan replied "I'll let my dueling on the field show you how many guts I've got."

The judge then quickly interrupted, saying "Save that for the duel you two."

Both Illidan and Seto gave each other one last glare.

"Duelists, let's get to the dueling ring." called out the judge.

The elevator doors then opened, allowing Illidan, Seto, and the judge to step in. Within a few moments, they arrived at the top. As Illidan was about to step out behind the judge, Seto put his arm in front of Illidan, allowing Seto to push his way out of the elevator.

"Hey …" Illidan began to cry out.

"Losers always get out second." interrupted Seto.

Growling, Illidan slowly fell in line behind Seto as they took to the field.

The judge then cleared his voice and yelled "The following duel is a title vs. title duel. It shall be the World Champion Seto Kaiba vs. the Intercontinental Champion Illidan Stormrage. Duelists, shake hands and then shuffle each others decks."

Obeying the judge, both Illidan and Seto shook hands. Seto was squeezing Illidan's hand hard, which caused Illidan to then squeeze back hard. Seto slightly flinched at Illidan's strength and finally stopped shaking hands. Then each handed one another their decks. Once finished shuffling, each placed their decks in their Duel Disk's deck slot.

Satisfied by the two's small ceremony, the judge then said "Since Seto Kaiba is currently ranked higher than you Illidan, so he has the choice of who goes first."

Without thinking, Seto said "I'll go first."

Nodding, the judge responded with "Very well Seto. Illidan shall go second then. Now duelists, to your marks."

Illidan and Seto each moved to their positions on the field.

"Now, duelists activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards and Seto may begin." ordered the judge.

Both Illidan and Seto fired their holographic projectors onto the field. Then at the same time, Illidan and Seto's Duel Disks unfolded and lit up. The life point counters each went to 8000.

Smirking, Seto said "Fool, you'll lose! I'll now bring my Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650) out!" Seto's Deck Master looked like a blue and purple sea serpent of some kind. He carried with him some kind odd lance also.

"_Well, that monster is interesting looking. I wonder what kind of Deck Master abilities it has._"

Finally waking from his thoughts, Illidan decided it was time he showed Seto what his Deck Master looked like.

"Now, I'll bring out my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" declared Illidan. The powerful warrior with extremely shiny armor then appeared beside Illidan and raised his sword and shield.

Each then drew their first five cards and then yelled "Time to duel!"


	19. Chapter 19: Champions Clash, Pt 1

**Chapter 19**

Smirking, Seto said "Alright Illidan, it's time to show you what a true champion can do. I'll first summon my powerful Enraged Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode." A powerful looking ox warrior then appeared on the field. He had red and yellow armor and a powerful sword like axe in one hand.

"Next, I'll set one card face down. Now, make your move." (Seto 8000, Illidan 8000)

Illidan drew his first card and glanced at his hand and the new card. His hand looked promising. He had D.D. Warrior Lady, Waboku, Pot of Greed, Luster Dragon, and Sangan. The card he had just drawn was Dark Hole. "_This should really help_!"

Smiling, Illidan said "Alright Seto, I'll play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards." Quickly, Illidan then drew his next two cards. They were his Change of Heart and Slate Warrior.

"Next, I'll summon my Luster Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode!" A powerful sapphire dragon then appeared on the field. It had bony looking wings and red eyes.

"Now I'll place one card face down. Luster Dragon, attack his Enraged Battle Ox with Ruby Blaster!" Quickly, the sapphire dragon took to the sky as it's jaws seemed to be glowing with ruby colored energy. Once in the air a little ways, it let loose a powerful sphere of ruby energy that went flying straight at the ox warrior.

As the blast neared though, Seto let out a laugh and said "Not so fast Illidan, I reveal my trap card known as Negate Attack! This negates your attack and ends your battle phase." Suddenly then a small black hole opened in front of the ox warrior, allowing it to intercept the ruby energy.

"Nice try, but you failed to destroy me!" gloated Seto.

Sighing, Illidan replied "Fine then Seto, I'll end my turn." (Seto 8000, Illidan 8000)

Smirking, Seto mockingly asked "Illidan, did you think that foolish move would work against me? You're fooling yourself if you thought it would have! Now, watch as I make this move. I'll play the magic card known as Wild Nature's Release. This card allows me to increases my Enraged Battle Ox's attack points by the amount equal to his attack points (1700 + 1000 2700/1000)! Of course, he gets destroyed at the end of my turn, but that won't matter once I'm through with your dragon. Next I summon Spear Dragon (1900/0) in attack mode!" A pterodactyl like blue and white dragon then appeared on the field, letting out a screech.

"Now I'll play the magic card called Dragon's Treasure, increasing Spear Dragon's points by 300 (2200/300)! Spear Dragon, annihilate Illidan's pitiful Luster Dragon with your Tornado Blast!" With a quick screech, the dragon opened it's mouth and fired a powerful green cyclone blast straight at the sapphire dragon.

As the blast neared the strong sapphire dragon, Illidan quickly said "Not so fast Seto, I activate my trap card called Waboku, allowing me to defend my Luster Dragon!" A group of three female mages then appeared in front of the sapphire dragon and held out their hands, canceling out the blast made by the pterodactyl dragon.

Growling, Seto said "Now my Spear Dragon's effect forces it to switch to attack mode." The pterodactyl dragon then knelt down and closed it's wings around it's head.

"Then I must end my turn…"

Before Seto could finish, Illidan interrupted, saying "Don't forget Seto, your Enraged Battle Ox now is destroyed thanks to the use of your Wild Nature's Release!" At that moment, the ox warrior then moaned as it exploded into millions of pieces.

Growling even more, Seto replied "Fine then, I'll now end my turn." (Seto 8000, Illidan 8000)

Smiling, Illidan drew and saw he had picked up Slate Warrior. "Watch this Seto. I'll summon Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode!" The blue headed and golden armored fiend then graced the field with his presence. He then grasped the hilt of his huge halberd on his back.

"Slate Warrior, attack Spear Dragon with Fiend Slash!" Quickly pulling his halberd off his back, the golden armored warrior slashed through the blue and white pterodactyl, causing a small explosion to ensue.

"Now I'll invoke my Deck Master's ability. Since Slate Warrior destroyed your Spear Dragon, he's allowed to attack a second time, so Slate Warrior, attack Seto directly with Fiend Slash!" Quickly the blue headed warrior then crossed the field and swung his halberd at Seto, knocking Seto backwards slightly.

Smiling, Illidan then said "Luster Dragon, direct attack Seto's life points with Ruby Blaster!" Screeching, the sapphire dragon then opened it's jaws and fired a powerful sphere of ruby energy. The blast smacked Seto hard, knocking him down to one knee. Quickly though, Seto was back up on both feet.

"That shall end my move." (Seto 4200, Illidan 8000)

While drawing his card, Seto said "Not bad Illidan. I must admit, your move surprised me, but it's not enough to defeat me. Now watch as I use the power of my Deck Master to summon my Different Dimension Dragon (1200/1500) in defense mode!" A light blue and white dragon then appeared on the field. It had four wings and a long tail, and wasn't a very impressive looking dragon.

Realizing that this monster was a level five, Illidan said "Wait, you can't summon that monster without sacrificing one monster!"

Lightly chuckling, Seto responded with "That would be true if it wasn't for the fact my Deck Master lowers the star level of each light monster by two, meaning Different Dimension Dragon is no longer a level five monster, but is a level three monster! Now, that shall end my turn. Try and attack me Illidan, if you dare." (Seto 4200, Illidan 8000)

As he drew his card, Illidan said "My pleasure."

Glancing at his Exchange magic card he just drew, he then called out "Slate Warrior, attack his Different Dimension Dragon with Fiend Slash!" The blue headed fiend quickly rushed the field and slashed the white dragon in half with his powerful halberd.

Smirking, Illidan said "Looks like summoning that dragon was a bad move Seto. Next I'll use my Deck Master's special ability, allowing Slate …" Just as Illidan was calling out his attack, a multi colored dimensional rift opened up on the field. Suddenly the white and light blue dragon's head then popped out, and soon enough it's entire body followed.

Curious, Illidan asked "What's going on? I destroyed that dragon already. Why is it back?"

Seto only stood there laughing at this predicament though.

Irritated by Seto, Illidan said "Fine, since it returned, I'll use my Luster Dragon to blast it again. Luster Dragon, use your Ruby Blaster on Different Dimension Dragon!" Roaring, the beautiful sapphire dragon then spat a ruby energy sphere at the blue and white dragon. Once again, the dragon was destroyed.

Lightly chuckling, Illidan said "Looks like your dragon is gone. Now I can direct attack …" Before Illidan could finish, the multi colored dimensional rift reopened, bringing back the light blue and white dragon, and again, Seto was laughing.

Really irritated, Illidan demanded "What is going on here?"

Smirking, Seto replied "Haven't you figured it out yet Illidan? Different Dimension Dragon's special ability is the ability to survive any battle with monsters that have 1900 or less attack points. That means he can't be destroyed by either of your monsters!"

Realizing that attacking was useless for now, Illidan's only thought was "_Well, that's just dandy!_"

Laughing again, Seto yelled "It's useless Illidan! You won't win against me!"

Smiling, Illidan said "We'll see. I'm not done with you yet. I'll now set one monster and end my turn." (Seto 4200, Illidan 8000)


	20. Chapter 20: Champions Clash, Pt 2

**Chapter 20**

Glancing at his card, Seto said "Hmm, I'll pass this turn." (Seto 4200, Illidan 8000)

Looking at Seto's dragon, Illidan thought "_I have to get that Different Dimension Dragon off the field in order to get to his life points. I just need some card to destroy it._"

Illidan then drew his card and smiled at his Raigeki magic card. "_Good, I drew my Raigeki! This should stop his dragon._"

Still holding the card, Illidan said "Alright Seto, I play the magic card Raigeki! This card allows me to now destroy all of your monsters on the field!" Suddenly a streak of lightning fell from the sky and struck the light blue and white dragon, making it cry out in pain. Strangely though, Seto remained completely calm.

"Now Slate Warrior, direct att…" Before Illidan could finish his command, suddenly a dimensional rift opened on the field. Once again, the light blue and white dragon reappeared on the field.

Puzzled, Illidan asked "What in the world is going on?"

Seto began laughing again and said "Illidan, you fool, my Different Dimension Dragon is not affected by magic or trap cards as well. That means it's able to survive your Raigeki! So, what now Illidan? Will you give up?"

"_Great, if his dragon can't be destroyed that way, I'll have to summon something with more than 1900 attack points._"

Quickly looking at his hand, Illidan realized there might be a way to do it. "_It's a long shot, but I should try._"

"I'll set one monster and end my turn." (Seto 4200, Illidan 8000)

Smirking, Seto said "My move then, and I'll play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards from my deck!" Seto drew his next two cards, and then began laughing manically.

"What's so funny Seto?" asked Illidan.

Chuckling, Seto replied with "You're about to see. I summon Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in defense mode." A monster then appeared on the field that looked like a man wearing an outfit resembling a dragon.

"Now, I'll play the magic card called The Flute of Summoning Dragon card!" A golden flute shaped like a dragon then appeared above the dragon armored man. Then it lowered down to him and he played the flute, making a horn like sound.

"That card allows me to special summon up to two dragons from my hand, and the two dragons I'll summon are two Blue-Eyes White Dragons (3000/2500)!" Two rather large white metallic dragons with large wings then appeared on the field. Both roared and stared down at Illidan.

"_Not good! Those things are stronger than anything I have out currently. Only one monster in my deck is stronger than either of them._"

Seto was still laughing manically and finally stopped, saying "Blue-Eyes White Dragons, attack both Illidan's Luster Dragon and Slate Warrior with White Lightning!" Both dragons roared and opened up their mouths, each firing a huge stream of energy at both of Illidan's monsters. The sapphire dragon was destroyed easily as it roared in pain. Then the blue headed fiend was hit, causing it to moan in pain. As the fiend monster was about to be destroyed, he threw his halberd at the one white metallic dragon that hit him. As the sword was about to hit, the dragon armored man jumped up and knocked the sword away from the metallic dragon.

"What happened?" asked Illidan out of shock.

Chuckling, Seto replied with "Simple Illidan. As long as Lord of Dragons is in play, no magic, trap, or monster effects can harm any dragon type monsters. That means that your Slate Warrior's effect was not able to affect my dragon. That shall end my turn Illidan. Do yourself a favor and quit now!" (Seto 4200, Illidan 5800)

"_Well, this isn't good. Without Slate Warrior and Luster Dragon out, I'm down to my face down Slate Warrior and Sangan. Hmm, wait a second! I can use Slate Warrior to destroy his weaker Lord of Dragons and Different Dimension Dragon! Then I could let him destroy Slate Warrior, weakening one dragon even more._"

Illidan drew his card, which was Reflect Bounder, and said "Seto, I'm not done yet. I'll now flip my face down monster face up, which is my second Slate Warrior (1900/400)!" Another blue headed fiend with golden armor then appeared. Like the other had done, he grabbed the hilt of his halberd.

Smiling, Illidan then said "Since I flip summoned him, he gains 500 attack and defense points (2400/900)!" The fiend monster then slightly glowed as his power raised.

"Next I'll summon Reflect Bounder (1700/1000) to the field in attack mode." A machine like monster with mirrors placed all over it's body then appeared. Also it had a red cape wrapped around it's neck.

"Slate Warrior, attack Seto's Lord of Dragons with Fiend Slash!" Grasping his halberd tighter, the blue headed fiend leapt into action. He quickly took his halberd from his back and sliced the man in dragon armor quickly, causing a small explosion.

"Now I'll invoke my Deck Master's special ability, allowing Slate Warrior to attack again, and his target shall be that Different Dimension Dragon! Attack with Fiend Slash now!" The blue headed fiend then leapt across the field again and slashed the light blue and white dragon with his large halberd, causing the dragon to explode into millions of pieces, and causing Seto to slightly growl.

"That shall end my turn." (Seto 4200, Illidan 5800)

Still Growling, Seto finally let a look of calm fall over his face. He then drew and began laughing manically. Then he said "Fool, I'll show you now. Now I'll use another of my Deck Master's special abilities. I can now draw one card from my deck. If it's a light monster, I can special summon it to the field. If it's any other type of monster, magic, or trap card, it goes straight to the Graveyard. Let's see what I can draw now!"

Seto then drew his top card and laughed manically again, saying "I drew my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500), and can now special summon it!" A third white metallic like dragon appeared, roaring loudly.

Still laughing, Seto finally said "But the worse is about to come though. Prepare to face a monster that has no equal. I'm about to summon a monster that will be your destruction! I now sacrifice my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons to summon my Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" Suddenly the sky darkened as all three dragons roared and disappeared. Then suddenly, blue lightening struck behind Seto and a large blue monster with wings began appearing. Slowly, he stretched out and let out a loud roar, instilling some fear in Illidan, as well as his monsters.

Standing there, Illidan felt the evil aura surrounding the powerful blue monster. In his mind, he realized he had seen this monster before. It was one of the three Egyptian God's from old times, but now reborn. "_I won't stand much of a chance against that thing! But I can't give up. No, I refuse to lose!_"

After his maniacal laughter, Seto finally said "Time to say good bye to a major chuck of your life points Illidan! Obelisk the Tormentor, destroy Illidan's Reflect Bounder with Fist of Fate!" The large Egyptian God then brought his powerful fist forward and smashed it into the mirrored machine monster. As it was struck, all the mirrors on the monster glowed and fired a powerful beam straight at Seto, knocking him backwards about three feet. Then the machine monster exploded, causing a massive shockwave that knocked Illidan to one knee.

After the smoke cleared from the field, Seto slowly got up and asked "Why was I hit by your Reflect Bounder?"

Slowly standing, Illidan responded with "Because Seto, you activated it's special ability."

Annoyed, Seto asked "What special ability?"

Smiling, Illidan replied with "If Reflect Bounder is attacked while in attack mode, he can do direct damage to the opponent's life points by the amount of points of the attacking monster. Since Obelisk has 4000 attack points, you got hit for 4000 life points as well."

Growling at this loss, Seto said "Fine, I'll end my turn. Be in fear though Illidan. With Obelisk the Tormentor out, you won't last long. Not long at all." Seto then began to laugh maniacally once again. (Seto 200, Illidan 3500)

"_Man, what a cocky guy. With just 200 points left, he is still cocky enough to think I won't win. Problem is, I have no idea how to stop that Egyptian God Card._"


	21. Chapter 21: Champions Clash, Pt 3

**Chapter 21**

After Illidan drew his card, he glanced to see it was his Mystical Space Typhoon. "_Useless for now._" he quickly thought.

"I'll set a monster and switch Slate Warrior to defense mode. That ends my turn." The blue headed fiend on the field then took a one knee position and crossed his arms in front of himself for defense. (Seto 200, Illidan 3500)

Chuckling, Seto said "You're not going to win Illidan. You know that, don't you?"

Replying with confidence in his voice, Illidan said "This duel is not over Seto. I won't just give up. It may seem hopeless, but there is always hope!"

Laughing as he drew his next card, Seto said "You should know it's over by now Illidan! Now I'll discard the Thunder Dragon (1600/1500) I just drew, allowing me to add up to two new Thunder Dragon's from my deck to my hand. Next I'll summon Thunder Dragon (1600/1500) in defense mode." A green like dragon then appeared on the field and let out a soft roar as it crouched down and hid within it's wings.

"Obelisk the Tormentor, attack with your Fist of Fate on Illidan's Slate Warrior!" The large blue Egyptian God then powered up once again and sent a powerful fist at the blue headed fiend monster. With great ease, the fiend monster was destroyed, causing a massive shockwave. Illidan could only stand there shocked by the power of an Egyptian God Card.

Silently remembering and thinking, he thought "_This one always did have a lot of power, but the others had much more._"

Laughing again, Seto said "That shall end my move. I'll end your suffering next turn Illidan!" (Seto 200, Illidan 3500)

Looking at his deck, Illidan thought "_Come on deck, I need your help. Heart of the Cards, please guide me._"

Illidan slowly drew and disappointedly looked at his Kuriboh. "_Kuriboh! Why Kuriboh? He can't even attack or defend for me hardly! Wait, he'll be helpful if I get hit by a direct attack. Hopefully I won't though._"

Sighing, Illidan finally said "I'll set one card face down. That shall end my turn." (Seto 200, Illidan 3500)

Laughing hard again, Seto said "You should have used that time to build up your forces Illidan, for now it's over! It's over for you! I shall first summon Thunder Dragon (1600/1500) in defense mode." Another green dragon then appeared on the field and hid beneath it's own wings like the other had.

"Next I'll play Stop Defense on your face down monster on the right!" Suddenly the face down monster was forced to be shown. It was an orange fur ball with three eyes and green hands. The creature was known as Sangan (1000/600).

Gasping, Illidan cried out "No!"

Laughing harder, Seto said "Yes! Next I'll sacrifice both Thunder Dragons to Obelisk the Tormentor, thus activating his special ability! By making a double sacrifice to Obelisk, I can increase his power to infinite!" The large blue Egyptian God then grabbed both of the green dragons on the field and squeezed each. Then they screeched as they disappeared and their power was absorbed right into the Egyptian God. Suddenly Obelisk's eyes then glowed a brilliant shade of red and his body began to change. Slowly, the blue coloring faded and he became red. During this time, his attack and defense points started going up. As he stood there powering up, he let out a roar. Finally, he was completely red and his attack and defense points hit infinite.

Illidan cried out in fear "No way! How is that even possible?"

Laughing manically, Seto then said "You're about to feel the true power of Obelisk the Tormentor! Obelisk the Tormentor, destroy his Sangan and the remainder of his life points with Fist of Fate!" The powerful red Egyptian God then brought both fists forward and pushed tremendous energy into them. He then fired a huge blast from each fist, which intertwined together, creating a massive energy beam.

As the beam neared, suddenly a cloud of small brown fur balls with green hands and feet, and purple eyes appeared. They slowly began to build a barrier like wall between the huge blast and the small orange creature.

Screaming, Seto asked "WHERE DID THOSE FURBALLS COME FROM?"

Illidan only chuckled and said "They came from my hand, for I'm discarding Kuriboh (300/200) to protect my Sangan. By the way Seto, when I discard Kuriboh to the Graveyard, I take zero damage to my life points from an attack!"

Seto growled in frustration, but said "That's fine, but you're pathetic Sangan is going to go down with those other hairballs!"

The blast then made contact with the small barrier of brown hairball creatures. All of them exploded till finally the blast did hit the small orange creature as well. Once all the smoke cleared, Illidan still stood on the field and smiled.

He then said "Since you destroyed my Sangan, I'm allowed to pick one monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points and add it to my hand. I'll pick my Spirit Reaper. Now, are you done?"

Growling again, Seto said "Yes, I end my turn." (Seto 200, Illidan 3500)

"_That was a lucky break on my part. Now I need something to help me beat him. I have an idea how to, but it all depends on the next card I draw. Come on Heart of the Cards, please guide me!_"

Illidan slowly drew his card and glanced at it. He smiled and said "Watch this Seto. I play the magic card Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three new cards, but I must discard two cards from my hand after I draw."

"_Here goes something. I only hope I get the cards I need. No, I know I can get the cards I need!_"

Illidan then quickly drew his three cards and smiled. He had drawn Monster Reborn, Dark Magician of Chaos, and United We Stand. "_Perfect!_"

"For the two cards I must discard, I'll send Dark Magician of Chaos and Exchange to the Graveyard."

Laughing, Seto said "What a foolish move! Like it would have mattered if you had had your Dark Magician of Chaos on the field anyways!"

Smirking, Illidan replied "Oh, is that so? Well, why don't we find out! I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode!" Suddenly a fiery pentagram appeared on the field. Slowly rising up through it was a blue skinned mage with a staff. He had tight fitting black armor and a black and red sort of hat. Once he was fully on the field, he opened his eyes to reveal blood red irises and yellow corneas. Then the flames suddenly extinguished with the swinging of his staff into an offensive position.

Bursting out loud with laughter again, Seto pointed at the mage and said "That pitiful mage won't make a difference! He is nothing compared to my Egyptian God Card! How can you even think that that sad excuse of a magician could stand up to Obelisk!"

Smiling, Illidan replied "I'm not expecting him to."

Shocked by those words, Seto asked "What!"

Smiling again, Illidan responded with "That's right I'm not expecting him to beat Obelisk. Now to show you my true plan for him. Since I special summoned my Dark Magician of Chaos, his effect kicks in, allowing me to return one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand, so I'll pick my Monster Reborn! Next I'll play Monster Reborn, bringing back your Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" Suddenly, Seto's large white metallic looking dragon reappeared on Illidan's side of the field.

Growling, Seto spat out "How dare you use my dragon!"

Chuckling, Illidan replied with "You'll get over it. Now watch as I put my plan into action by using your own monster to take down Obelisk. I now equip Blue-Eyes White Dragon with the magic card called United We Stand! This increases Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack and defense points by 800 per a face up monster. Since I have 2 face up monsters, he gains a whopping 1600 points (4600/4100)!"

Seto screamed "NO!"

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Obelisk the Tormentor with your White Lightning!" The large white metallic dragon then roared and opened it's jaws. It then let loose it's powerful stream of energy at the Egyptian God. The blast hit Obelisk with incredible force, making the God cry out in pain. Finally, the blast drilled right through Obelisk, causing a huge explosion. The explosion was so large that it knocked Seto to his knees. Instantly, his Duel Disk then powered down due to the loss of his monster.

Seto was very visibly shaken though by the blast. Fear was all over his face. "_Guess not many have ever destroyed Obelisk._" thought Illidan.

Suddenly, the familiar voice of the judge said "Illidan Stormrage is the winner of this duel! Therefore, Illidan is now the World Champion and Intercontinental Champion!"

After the announcement, the judge proceeded to walk over, handing both title belts to Illidan.

Smiling, the judge said "Illidan, you are now known as the first double champion ever in Duel Monsters. Congratulations!"

The judge then shook Illidan's hand. After finishing the hand shake, Illidan walked over to Seto, who was still on his knees, but had his hands out in front of him and looked slumped over nearly. Seto still was staring at the ground when Illidan walked over and then stooped over to offer a hand. Seto finally came to his senses and knocked Illidan's hand away.

"I don't need any help, especially from you!" yelled Seto.

He then stood up and stormed off to the elevator.

Sighing, Illidan then thought "_Oh well, at least I won. Cool, I'm the first double champion ever!_"

Meanwhile, in his office, Gozaburo was slamming his fists on the arms of his throne, yelling "How can it be possible! Seto should have beat him with Obelisk out!"

Finally calming down, he evilly chuckled and said "Oh well. I'll just have to have another Egyptian God Card holder destroy Illidan tomorrow!"


	22. Chapter 22: Reunited Lovers

**Chapter 22**

After a hard day of dueling, the stats were listed like the following: 1st Yugi Moto, 2nd Marik Ishtar, 3rd Illidan Stormrage, 4th Seto Kaiba, 5th Marie O'Dell, 6th Noa Kaiba, 7th Bakura Ryou, 8th Joey Wheeler, 9th Mai Valentine, and 10th Bandit Keith.

Yugi had won his duel against Bakura, as did Marik with an easy duel with Mai. Noa had dueled Marie, but lost to her in the end. Joey beat Bandit Keith badly, thus causing Keith to lose more ground. Finally, Illidan and Seto had dueled. Illidan had won a hard fought battle and became the first double champion in the history of Duel Monsters.

That night, a party was thrown for Illidan winning both titles. Almost everyone congratulated Illidan on his victory.

Yugi was first to say "Congratulations Illidan. I'm glad you won."

Smiling, Illidan replied "Thanks Yugi. I'm really glad I won too. Seto was an excellent opponent too. It's amazing that I beat Obelisk."

Smiling at his friends comment, Yugi said "Yeah, the Egyptian God Cards are powerful. You should be careful though, for they are stronger than you think."

Nodding, Illidan responded with "Yeah, I guess I should."

About that time, Marie walked over and kissed Illidan on the cheek and said "My hero!"

Illidan had to laugh at that comment, yet blushed due to it as well. Throughout the night, the party continued on till it was finally time for everyone to go to bed. Illidan went to his room and set both his titles down on his coffee table. Then he slipped his Duel Disk off and set it beside the titles.

Once he made sure everything was taken care of for the night, he brought his Millennium Key out of it's concealment. He then created the cloak of concealment around himself. Quietly, Illidan opened his door and went into the hall. Slowly, he pad down the hall till he finally came to where Marie's room was.

Silently, he opened her door and walked in, checking to see if he could see her. He couldn't see her in the front part of the room, so he walked on into the bedroom to find Marie sitting on her bed, seemingly waiting for him. He then released the veil of darkness that surrounded him to reveal himself to her.

Smiling, Marie said "About time you got here Illidan."

Illidan was quite shocked by this statement. Then he noticed that the Millennium Necklace was visible on Marie's neck. "_So, she does possess it after all._"

Lightly chuckling, he said "So, you saw that I was going to come tonight?"

Nodding, she replied "Yes, I've been expecting you to come for quite a while. I was wondering why you hadn't come to talk to me sooner though."

Rubbing the back of his head, he said "Sorry I didn't. I kept thinking Ishizu was the holder of the Millennium Necklace, and I had to wait for my chance to talk to her. Then I found out today she didn't have it anymore. She told me she gave it to it's true owner. I immediately figured out who it was since my memories have returned to me about the past. I remember that long ago, in ancient Egypt, we were both serving under the pharaoh, Yami. We both were given a Millennium Item each, and were put in charge of helping keep peace within Egypt. I was given the Millennium Key and you the Millennium Necklace. And like now, we both loved each other very much. I remember so much from that time, the good and the bad. Unfortunately, my memories are not fully restored. They just come to me in visions from the Millennium Key at different times."

Smiling, she replied "Yes Illidan, they will continue to slowly return. The Millennium Necklace has shown me all of my past memories as well. I've seen what happened in ancient times, and I've seen what is to happen in this tournament, well, to a certain extent."

Puzzled, Illidan asked "What do you mean?"

Sighing, Marie responded with "I can't see who faces Gozaburo. It's confusing because I've had five visions with four different people facing him. You faced him in two of my visions. The others were who faced him were Yami, me, and Marik. I'm just not sure who will face Gozaburo. It could be either of us, or anyone else for that matter."

Thinking for a moment, Illidan said "Hmm, we need to figure out how to stop him. I don't want what happened in the past to happen again."

Illidan was staring at Marie and remembered his visions of that frightful battle with Gozaburo over the Millennium Crown. He had nearly lost her in that battle, and he blamed himself for not being able to protect her that day. He would never allow that to happen in this new life with her. He'd die before he'd allow Marie to come to harm by Gozaburo this time.

Curious, he asked "Marie, you are the true reincarnation of yourself from ancient Egypt, correct?"

Lightly giggling, she replied with "Yes silly. Are your memories that jumbled up that you can't remember me?"

Sighing, he replied "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure. I didn't want to have another hunch like I had had about the owner of the Millennium Necklace."

Smiling, Marie walked closer to him and said "Illidan, we've been separated from each other for so many years. I've missed you so much."

They then embraced each other in a tight hug. Illidan held her tightly, never wanting to let go. As he did, more memories of how things were with him and her in ancient times flowed into his mind. It only made sense that in their reincarnated lives that they'd cross paths once again. Illidan had always felt so alone in his reincarnated life, but had no idea why. Then he met Marie, and he felt as if something deep within was reclaimed, like something he had lost so long ago was back with him again. Of course, he realized what he had been missing when he received his Millennium Key again and his memories showed him visions of him and Marie in ancient times. It seemed almost like destiny that they fell in love again in their new lives. At long last, they had finally come full circle in their lives.

Slowly, both released each other. Staring into her beautiful brown eyes, Illidan remembered so many good things that he had experienced with Marie in the present and past. Their first kiss, their first date, and so many other things that they had done along the way. He felt nothing but pure love for her, and knew she felt the same for him. Deep in his heart, Illidan hoped things wouldn't repeat like in the past. He had no idea even if he or Marie had died in the past from their battle with Gozaburo, but it mattered not. It only mattered now that he and Marie were together again.

Realizing he needed some sleep for the next day, he said "Marie, my beautiful …"

Marie put her finger up to his lip, silencing him. They then kissed one another slowly and finally broke away. Staring at her face, Illidan wondered why it was she loved him so much and why he could never get enough of her.

Finally, he said "Marie, I must go."

Knowing this, she said "I know. I love you Illidan, and will always."

Nodding, Illidan replied "I love you too Marie. I promise you that I'll always be there for you, and shall always protect you. Good night."

Smiling, she responded with "Good night."

After kissing her hand, Illidan then pulled the veil of darkness back around himself. He then left her room and slowly walked up the hall to his room. Once there, he silently went into his room and let his cloak of darkness fade. He then prepared for bed and finally slid underneath the covers and hoped to dream of something peaceful this time.


	23. Chapter 23: Saying Goodbye and Marik

**Chapter 23**

When Illidan awoke, he was for once not waking in a cold sweat. Another vision of the past had come though. This one was gentler at the least. He had dreamed of the aftermath of the battle with Gozaburo over the Millennium Crown.

After Illidan had passed out from his battle with Gozaburo, all the Millennium Item holders had been taken to be healed.

Set, the holder of the Millennium Rod, had lost his arm in the battle due to a powerful blast of Shadow Magic from Gozaburo.

Bakura, the Millennium Ring's owner, was still unconscious from the horrible blast he had been hit by.

Shadi, the holder of the Millennium Scales, was already up and able to limp around. He had injuries, but they weren't as serious as the others.

Pegasus, the owner of the Millennium Eye, had been blinded by the attacks. True, he still possessed the Millennium Eye, but he could no longer see out of it for some reason.

Yami was the worst of the all the item holders. Gozaburo had struck a fatal blow in on him, causing Yami to slowly die.

Illidan woke up suddenly, sensing that his friend, as well as brother in law, was dying. Slowly, Illidan dragged himself to Yami's side. He looked down at the young ruler and noticed Yami was concentrating his energies on the Millennium Puzzle.

After a moment longer, Yami finally opened his eyes and looked at his friend with a smile.

Illidan quietly said "Yami, please don't leave us. We need you so much."

With a weak smile, Yami replied "I'm sorry Illidan, but I can't. My time is almost at an end. But before I die, I want to do one last thing. I will transfer my soul into the Millennium Puzzle."

Curious, Illidan asked "Why?"

"This way I'll be able to help in the future. There is not much time left. I will transfer my soul, but I won't keep my memories with me. Before I finish, I'll wipe my memories out. I do have a way to reawaken my memories though. I left myself a way to remember. It may take me a while to remember once I return, but that isn't a problem. The reason I do this is I don't want someone to use my memories for evil. I only hope I can remember when a vessel takes up the power of the Millennium Puzzle. Also, I want you to take my puzzle apart after I die. That way whoever can put the puzzle together is the one destined to be my vessel."

Nodding, Illidan let tears run down his face and said "I understand. I only wish I'd been able to keep you from dying. Forgive me for my failure to protect you."

Lightly smiling, Yami said "You have nothing to be sorry for Illidan. You did all you could do against Gozaburo. Don't worry Illidan, for we'll meet once again in the future."

Sadly nodding, Illidan then asked "What is to be done with the forger of the items? You know, Gozaburo."

Thinking for a moment, Yami responded "His soulless body is to be destroyed. That way he can never return to this world."

"Alright, I will carry out that final order soon. Yami, I wish you the best till we meet again one day."

Smiling softly, Yami said "We will meet each other again, I promise. Good bye."

With that said, Yami concentrated once again and the puzzle began to glow. The light coming from it was rather blinding, making Illidan turn his head away. After the blinding light died down, Illidan noticed that Yami was dead now. "_No, his soul lives on._"

Illidan then slowly took the Millennium Puzzle from his friend's hands and walked over to Shadi. He then said "Shadi, it is your responsibility to watch over this for now. I put you in charge of watching over this item till I'm able to take care of it myself."

Nodding, Shadi replied "Of course, I will guard it with my life."

"Also, it needs separated into it's pieces. That way when it is time for Yami to be brought back, the vessel that puts the puzzle together will become infused with Yami's spirit."

Nodding again, Shadi responded "I see. I'll break it apart soon."

Turning away, Illidan said "Good."

Illidan then hobbled on over to the bed where Marie still rested. He looked at her, seeing that the wound inflicted on her by Gozaburo was slowly healing. Sighing, he was happy that she wasn't seriously hurt.

Standing there looking at the beautiful figure before him, he thought "_I don't know what I'd do without her. Losing Yami was tough, but losing her would leave no real meaning to my life._"

Illidan turned and then hobbled over to his bed and laid back down. Slowly, he fell into a deep healing sleep.

That was about the time Illidan woke up. Looking down, he noticed that the Millennium Key was glowing as usual. He silently thought "_What are you trying to tell me I wonder._"

Illidan decided then that there was no point in laying in bed anymore. He got up and began his usual morning routine. Once getting back from his shower, he ate some Pop-Tarts and then checked the list of duels for the day. Much to his surprise, he saw he'd be facing Marik, and both of his titles were on the line.

Smirking, he thought "_I see Gozaburo is trying to get me taken down as fast as possible now._"

He then glanced at the clock and saw he had five more minutes before he had to go. Hurriedly, he grabbed his deck and Duel Disk and prepared to leave. When he got to the door, he quickly realized he had his Millennium Key unconcealed still. Quickly, he put it's concealment back on and then ran for the elevator.

Luckily, he was right on time to get on. Marik was already there, waiting patiently with the judge. Once Illidan arrived, the judge directed the two onto the elevator. Within a few moments, they were at the top of the tower. The three walked out of the elevator and onto the field as usual.

Clearing his throat, the judge said "The following duel is a match for the Intercontinental Title and the World Championship Title. It is a duel between Illidan Stormrage and Marik Ishtar. Now, duelists, step forward and shake hands. Then shuffle each others decks."

Illidan and Marik each shook hands.

Smiling, Marik said "Illidan, this will be an honorable duel. I promise you that much."

Staring into Marik's eyes, Illidan realized he was being quite honest and said "Good to hear that. This should be a good duel."

They then each handed one another their decks and each shuffled. Then the two returned their respected decks and stuck them in their Duel Disk's deck slot.

"Marik, since you have a higher rank than Illidan, you get to choose who shall go first." called out the judge.

Not even thinking about it, Marik said "I shall go first."

Nodding, the judge said "Very well. Now duelists, take your marks."

Both Illidan and Marik went to their marks on the field and turned towards one another.

Staring at Marik, Illidan quickly thought "_So, he is the holder of The Winged Dragon of Ra. I'm going to have to be extra careful of that monster. It was the toughest Egyptian God of the three._"

"Activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards to begin!" commanded the judge.

Simultaneously, Illidan and Marik fired their holo projectors. Then their Duel Disks both unfolded and lit up.

Smiling, Marik said "Alright Illidan, prepare to meet my Puppet Master (0/0)!" An odd looking puppet appeared beside Marik.

Smiling, Illidan said "Meet my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500) Marik!" The soldier with black shiny armor and a powerful sword and shield then appeared beside of Illidan.

Each duelist then drew their first five cards and shouted "Time to duel!"


	24. Chapter 24: Struggle Against Ra, Pt 1

**Hey all. Well, I see a good bit of people have looked over my story so far. Hehe, don't feel shy about expressing your feelings about my story. I enjoy criticism, the good and the bad, hehe. It helps me know what I need to change or what my strengths are, so don't feel bad. I don't let it personally affect how I feel about a person, so don't worry.**

**I do hope everyone likes how this story has gone. It took me quite a while to get it wrote, and I'm glad to see people are looking it over. I'd just like some feedback is all I guess, lol. Anyways, here is my twenty-fourth chapter, so enjoy.**

**Chapter 24**

Smiling, Marik said "Alright Illidan, you'd better watch out, cause I'm going to take you down."

Lightly chuckling, Illidan replied "We'll see Marik."

"I'll start this duel off by playing my Revival Jam (1500/500) in defense mode." A puddle of blue plasma then appeared on the field and took an odd shape. The gushy monster just sat there, wobbling, and jiggling. "_Ok, that's an odd looking monster._"

"Now I'll play the magic card called Masked Doll! This magic card negates the cost of life points for cards for me. That means I don't have to pay for my Deck Master's ability either."

Illidan watched and quickly thought "_This isn't good. Now he can freely activate his Deck Master's effects._"

Smiling, Marik said "That shall end my turn." (Illidan 8000, Marik 8000)

Nodding, Illidan drew and looked at his hand. He held his Heavy Storm, Gamma the Magnet Warrior, Spirit Reaper, Mystical Space Typhoon, and D.D. Warrior Lady in his hand, and had just drawn Graceful Charity. "_This isn't too bad a hand. Now, if only I can figure out his strategy._"

Smiling, Illidan said "Alright, I'll start by setting a monster in defense. That ends my move." (Illidan 8000, Marik 8000)

Marik then drew and said "I'll summon Bowganian (1300/1000) in defense mode." An odd green that was eyeball shaped with small arms then appeared. He wielded a crossbow, making him look even tougher.

"Next I'll place three cards face down. That shall end my turn. (Illidan 8000, Marik 8000)

"_Odd, why is he playing these weak monsters?_" Suddenly a vision of the day before replayed in Illidan's mind. It was his duel with Seto. Seto had sacrificed three monsters to summon Obelisk the Tormentor. It hit him then. "_It took three monsters to be sacrificed for Obelisk, so that must mean his Egyptian God Card needs the same amount._"

Knowing what he had to do, Illidan then drew and said "I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/1000) to the field in attack mode!" A mage with maroon robes then appeared on the field. He wielded a powerful sword and an mighty shield as well.

"When I normal summon this monster, his effect kicks in, allowing him to gain a spell counter. Also, for each spell counter he has, he gains 300 attack points (1900/1000)." A little ring of energy then started spinning around the warrior's sword, signifying the spell counter he had just gained.

Smiling, Illidan then said "Now for your face down cards. I'll play the magic card Heavy Storm…"

"Not so fast Illidan, I reveal my trap card known as Magic Drain! Now, if you don't discard one magic card, I get to negate that magic card." replied Marik.

Frowning, Illidan said "Fine, I'll discard my Mystical Space Typhoon. Now Heavy Storm, destroy his …"

Interrupting once again, Marik said "No you don't Illidan! I reveal my other trap known as Magic Jammer! Now I discard my Sangan from my hand to negate your Heavy Storm!" The magic card on Illidan's side of the field then suddenly shattered, signifying it's destruction.

Lightly chuckling, Illidan said "Well, since that didn't work, I'll attack. Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack his Revival Jam with Magical Sword Slash!" Flying across the field, the maroon robed mage slashed the blue plasma monster right in half, making the plasma spill out onto the field.

Suddenly, the blue plasma started jiggling and reformed to it's original shape.

"What the heck! What is going on?" asked Illidan.

Chuckling, Marik responded with "You should have known Illidan that Revival Jam isn't that easy to destroy. You see, when Revival Jam is destroyed, I have a choice of paying 1000 life points to revive it on my side of the field in defense mode. Since I have Masked Doll in play though, I don't have to pay the 1000 points, so Revival Jam just revives free of cost."

"_Not good! That means I can't get to his life points directly for a while._"

Realizing he had succeeded in destroying a monster at the least, Illidan said "Fine then Marik, but I still technically destroyed Revival Jam, thus activating my Deck Master's special ability. Now Breaker can attack a second time. Breaker, attack his Bowganian with Magical Sword Slash!" Once again the robed mage flew across the field with great speed. As he was about to strike the green eyeball shaped monster, the blue plasma monster jumped in front of the mage, forcing the mage to swing his sword, slashing the monster in half again.

Shocked, Illidan asked "What is going on now?"

Lightly chuckling, Marik said "Simple Illidan. I activated my trap card called Jam Defender! It allows me to have my Revival Jam be attacked rather than any of my other monsters. So, it forced Breaker to attack Revival Jam basically."

Right about that time, the blue goop regenerated into it's former shape and moved back to where it had stood on the field.

Smirking, Marik asked "So Illidan, is that all you have?"

Sighing cause he had no other moves, Illidan responded with "I'll end my turn." (Illidan 8000, Marik 8000)

Marik then drew and said "Good, cause it's my turn, and now my Bowganian's special effect kicks in. It will now do 600 points damage to your life points!" The eyeball creature then raised it's crossbow up and pointed straight at Illidan. Then it released a small arrow which struck Illidan, making him gasp and clutch his chest.

"Now that you've lost 600 points Illidan, I'll summon Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000)." A large brown gorilla with red eyes then appeared. He began to beat his chest as he stood there roaring.

"Berserk Gorilla, destroy his Breaker the Magical Warrior with Gorilla Beam Blast!" Charging at the robed mage, the gorilla then leapt into the air and fired a powerful beam of pure energy at the mage. The mage tried to defend himself with his shield, but it broke instantly under the stress of the blast, causing the mages destruction.

"That shall end my turn. Getting worried yet Illidan?" mockingly asked Marik. (Illidan 7300, Marik 8000)

Keeping his composure as he drew, Illidan said "Not yet Marik." Illidan then looked at his Ring of Destruction he had just drawn.

"I'll place one card face down. That will do it for me." (Illidan 7300, Marik 8000)

As Marik drew, he said "Good Illidan, cause I'm not done handing out the punishment yet. Now, you remember Bowganian, right? Well, in case you did, here is a reminder!" The green eyeball shaped monster then raised his crossbow again and fired yet another arrow at Illidan, once again striking him in the chest, causing Illidan to cry out in pain and drop to one knee while clutching his heart.

"Now that you've lost 600 more points, I'll play this magic card called Raigeki!" Suddenly, a streak of lightning fell from the sky, striking Illidan's face down monster which was revealed to be a creature that looked like the grim reaper.

Gasping, Illidan cried out "No, not my Spirit Reaper!"

Smiling, Marik said "That monster would have kept me at bay for quite a while Illidan. Too bad for your loss, but I guess that your loss is my gain! Berserk Gorilla, direct attack Illidan's life points with Gorilla Beam Blast!" The large gorilla then began banging his chest hard with his fists. After that, the gorilla opened it's mouth and fired his powerful beam directly at Illidan. Illidan instantly fell to his knees from the force of the blast. Panting, Illidan slowly got back up.

Smirking, Marik said "That shall do it for me Illidan. You know, you should give up now. Save yourself some trouble. You won't win this duel." (Illidan 4700, Marik 8000)

Growling, Illidan said "I'm not giving up Marik. I never will!"

Lightly chuckling, Marik responded with "That's the spirit Illidan. Never say die!"

Taking a deep breath, Illidan thought "_I'd sure like to say die, but I can't. They're all depending on me. I've got to win. I have no choice. Now, it's time I start showing that I'm worthy of these titles and of saving the world! Heart of the cards, please guide me._"

Illidan then drew his next card with is eyes closed. Slowly opening them, he saw that he had drawn …


	25. Chapter 25: Struggle Against Ra, Pt 2

**Chapter 25**

Slate Warrior. "_Great, now I can possibly turn this duel around._"

Smiling, Illidan calmly said "I'll first play my Graceful Charity magic card. This allows me to draw three new cards, but I must discard two afterwards."

Quickly drawing, Illidan saw that he'd drawn Sangan, Dark Hole, and United We Stand.

Slightly smirking, he said "I'll now discard D.D. Warrior Lady and Gamma The Magnet Warrior. Then I'll play the magic card Dark Hole!" A large black hole then opened up on the field. It began sucking all of the monsters on the field into it, instantly crushing each. Marik seemed quite surprised at this move.

"Now you have no monsters out, I'll summon Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode." A rather large blue headed warrior with golden armor then appeared on the field. His hand rested on the hilt of his huge halberd on his back.

"Slate Warrior, direct attack Marik now with Fiend Slash!" The fiend monster drew his sword and jumped into the air and then slashed Marik with his halberd. Marik slid back a little, but didn't seem to flinch.

"That ends my turn Marik." (Illidan 4700, Marik 6100)

Lightly chuckling while he drew his next card, Marik said "Impressive Illidan. I wasn't expecting you to make such a bold move, but don't think you've won yet! Watch as I activate my Puppet Master's Deck Master ability! Since I have Masked Doll out, I don't have to pay the 1500 life points cost, but it still allows me to special summon three monsters back to the field from my Graveyard in defense mode. So, I'll bring back Revival Jam (1500/500), Sangan (1000/600), and Bowganian (1300/1000)." The odd looking puppet monster then screamed and shot a beam out of his eyes at Marik's Graveyard. Suddenly, it glowed and three new beams shot out. Then the blue plasma monster, an orange hairball monster, and the green eyeball monster with a crossbow reappeared.

Illidan slightly cringed, thinking "_No, not that Revival Jam again!_"

"That shall do it for my turn. Beware Illidan, Ra is coming, and he won't be so gentle!" (Illidan 4700, Marik 6100)

With that, Illidan drew his next card. Smiling, he thought "_This should make him shut up._"

Illidan then said "I play the magic card Harpie's Feather Duster! Say good bye to all your magic and trap cards!" A huge feather then appeared on the field and sent a set of huge tornados at all of Marik's magic and trap card zones. Suddenly, both his Masked Doll and Jam Defender card were struck and exploded, causing Marik to slightly growl.

"Now that those two cards are gone, you won't be able to defend yourself as well. Next I'll summon my Sangan (1000/600) in attack mode." A small orange fur ball with green arms and three eyes then appeared on the field.

"Sangan, attack Revival Jam with Tri-Eye Beam!" All three eyes on the hairball monster then went wide open and fired a beam from each at the blue plasma monster. Blue plasma splattered all over the field as usual.

Marik stood there for a moment and finally said "Alright, I'll pay 1000 life points to regenerate my Revival Jam to the field." Slowly, the blue plasma began reforming into the shape the monster had previously held.

Smiling, Illidan said "I figured you'd have no choice but to do that Marik. Now I'll use that weakness of yours to make you lose some serious life points. I invoke my Deck Master's ability. Sangan, attack his Revival Jam again with Tri-Eye Beam!" Again, the orange creature fired his eye beams at the blue plasma monster, once again making it splatter all over the field.

Marik stood there for a moment again and finally said "I choose not to pay 1000 life points for Revival Jam. That means he's heading for the Graveyard permanently this time." With that, the blue plasma puddles disappeared completely off the field.

"Ah, so you're going to try and keep from paying out life points now. That's fine by me though. Slate Warrior, take down his Bowganian with Fiend Slash!" The golden armored fiend then quickly rushed across the field and swung his halberd down through the eyeball monster. A shower of sparks came pouring out from the strike before the small eyeball monster exploded.

"That will do it for this turn Marik. I end my turn now." (Illidan 4700, Marik 5100)

Smiling, Marik drew and said "You should have finished me Illidan, cause now I'm about to make you regret that turn. Watch as I am about to play the most powerful monster in Duel Monsters! It's time I summon him to the field and destroy you!"

Slightly chuckling, Illidan said "It don't matter though Marik. You need to sacrifice three monsters to summon Ra, and you have not a one on the field."

Laughing, Marik replied "True Illidan, but have you forgotten I have the ability to bring out three monsters at once?"

Slightly unsure what Marik was talking about, Illidan said "I'm confused now."

Laughing again, Marik replied "Watch as I activate my Deck Master's special ability! I give up 1500 life points to revive my Revival Jam and Bowganian to the field in defense mode!" The blue plasma monster and the green eyeball machine monster then returned to the field side by side.

"_If he tries to summon Ra, I've got a little surprise for him._" thought Illidan.

Smiling, Marik said "Time for this duel to come to an end! I sacrifice my Revival Jam, Bowganian, and …"

Quickly acting, Illidan said "I don't think so Marik! I reveal my face down trap card, Ring of Destruction!" Suddenly a ring with many explosives attached appeared on the field. It was slowly spinning as it hovered over the field.

"Now this trap allows me to destroy one monster on the field, and we each take damage to our life points equal to your monster's attack points! And I'll choose your Sangan, causing both me and you to lose 1000 life points each!" The large ring then spun faster and flew across the field. It then slipped around the orange fur ball. Then the explosives glowed brighter and blue up the small monster.

Growling because he couldn't summon Ra, Marik lightly chuckled and said "This isn't over Illidan! Since you so kindly sent Sangan to the Graveyard for me, I get to move one monster with 1500 or less attack points to my hand from my deck, and I'll choose Revival Jam! Next I will give up another 1500 life points for my Deck Master's special ability. This allows me to once again special summon my Sangan back!" With that said, the orange fur ball then reappeared on the field with it's arms crossed and it's eyes closed.

Gasping, Illidan quickly thought "_Not good! He now has three monsters again!_"

"I now sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra (1000 + 1300 + 1500 3800/600 + 1000 + 500 2100)!" With a flash, all three monsters were gone. Then suddenly, the sky darkened greatly. From the darkness though came a powerful golden light. A huge metallic sphere of light appeared above the field then, shining down an awesome glow.

Shocked, Illidan asked "What is that thing?"

Laughing lightly, Marik replied "That my friend is my Winged Dragon of Ra! I must recite an ancient text that is on my card to bring him out of that state. Now, here goes. Great Beast of the sky please hear my cry, transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. Envelope the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe. Appear in this game as I call your name... Winged Dragon of Ra!" With that, the huge sphere began to transform. Arms, wings, legs, and a head then all appeared to form the dragon's mighty body. Once finished, the mighty golden dragon landed on the field, shaking the tower upon it's reaching the ground. The mighty dragon then roared straight at Illidan, seemingly shaking Illidan down to his core. Somewhere in his lost mind, he felt as if he had stared down this monster once before.

"Since I sacrificed my Sangan again, I also get to pick yet another monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to add to my hand. And I'll pick once again my Revival Jam. This is it Illidan. You will now fall before the power of The Winged Dragon of Ra! Winged Dragon of Ra, destroy Illidan's pitiful Sangan with Blaze Cannon!" The mighty Egyptian God obeyed and powered up. A huge fireball formed on it's back. Then slowly, the energy of the fireball was sent into the dragon's mouth, where a new fireball formed. Then the mighty dragon opened it's jaws and released a devastating blast. The blast struck the small orange fur ball creature, causing it to scream in sheer pain. The explosion caused Illidan to fly backwards as well. Once the blast subsided, Illidan stood up and went back to where he was standing.

Shaken quite badly, he thought "_I've never seen anything like that!_"

Smirking, Marik said "Now Illidan, use your Sangan's effect so I can end my turn."

Nodding, Illidan looked through his deck and pulled out his Spirit Reaper.

"That ends my turn Illidan. Next turn, you won't survive." (Illidan 900, Marik 1100)


	26. Chapter 26: Struggle Against Ra, Pt 3

**Chapter 26**

Standing there staring on at the powerful Egyptian God, Illidan thought "_What am I going to do now? That Winged Dragon of Ra is so powerful that I can't even attack it with any of my monsters. There's got to be a way to beat this thing. I've got to trust my deck. Hopefully there is something in there that can help._"

Slowly, Illidan drew his card to see his Scapegoat card. He quickly thought "_Scapegoat? What good is Scapegoat right now?_"

Sighing, Illidan said "I'll switch my Slate Warrior to defensive mode. Then I'll set this card face down. Finally, I'll set this monster in defense. That ends my turn." (Illidan 900, Marik 1100)

Smirking as he drew, Marik said "What a pathetic move Illidan! I expected better than that from you! Now watch as this duel is about to come to a close. I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000)!" The brown ape then reappeared on the field beating it's chest wildly.

"Berserk Gorilla, destroy his Slate Warrior with Gorilla Beam Blast!" Leaping into the air, the gorilla opened it's mouth and released it's powerful blast at the blue headed fiend. As the blast hit the golden armored fiend monster, he threw his halberd straight at the gorilla, easily sending it through it's right shoulder, causing the gorilla to roar in pain as it crashed to the ground holding it's shoulder.

"What have you done to my Berserk Gorilla?" demanded Marik.

Smiling, Illidan replied "Your Berserk Gorilla triggered Slate Warrior's special ability. When he's destroyed in battle, he is allowed to reduce that monster's attack and defense points by 500. Since Berserk Gorilla destroyed him, Slate Warrior then weakened your monster (1500/500)."

Growling slightly, Marik then smiled and said "No matter. Even without Berserk Gorilla's full power, I still have Ra. The Winged Dragon of Ra, destroy his face down monster now with Blaze Cannon!" Ra roared as a powerful fireball appeared on it's back once more. The fireball then transferred to Ra's mouth and was spat out as a huge blast. As the blast neared Illidan's face down monster card image, the image disappeared and a small grim reaper like creature appeared on the field.

Marik laughed and said "You're pathetic Spirit Reaper (300/200) won't survive this attack Illidan!"

The blast then struck the small monster, causing a huge explosion. As the blast was subsiding, Marik started laughing till he made out a small figure on the field. Suddenly, he realized it was the small grim reaper monster still.

Marik then yelled in shock "NO WAY! How could that thing withstand that blast?"

Illidan chuckled and said "He could due to his special ability. He can survive any battle with another monster."

Growling, Marik then let calmness wash back over his face as he said "In that case, I'll play the magic card Smashing Ground! This card now destroys the monster on your side of the field with the most defense points, and since you only have Spirit Reaper, that means he is gone!"

Suddenly a hand came out of the sky and smashed the small grim reaper monster, causing it to cry out in pain as it was destroyed. Illidan growled, thinking "_Spirit Reaper was my last defense. Now what?_"

"That ends my turn." (Illidan 900, Marik 1100)

Illidan stood there, contemplating what to do for a moment. "_What now? I don't know what to do. I don't know of anything in my deck that can save me now. What should I do?_"

"Illidan!" called out someone in the stands.

Illidan looked up to see it was Marie that had shouted at him.

"Illidan, don't give up! You can still win! Just believe in yourself and trust your deck! I know you can win!"

Realizing she was right, he quickly thought "_She still believes in me, and that means I have to at least try! Things may seem hopeless, but they're not! As long as I have the support of Marie and my friends, I can do anything! I can even take down The Winged Dragon of Ra!_"

With a new confidence in himself, Illidan drew his next card and smiled at the card. He then looked up at Marik and said "Check this out Marik! I summon Kuriboh (300/200) in attack mode!" A little ball of brown fuzz with green hands and feet, and purple eyes then appeared on the field. The monster looked more like a dust bunny than anything else to everyone.

All but Yugi in the crowd couldn't help but laugh. Yugi saw that Illidan had something planned, but what he wasn't sure. He quickly consulted with Yami, but Yami only smiled on as he watched his old friend try and turn things around.

On the field, Marik did a classic anime sweat drop as he laughed harder than he had ever done in the past.

"Is that what you spent so much time contemplating? That card is weak, and nearly useless. Using a dust bunny against me won't work Illidan, and you should know that by now."

The small furry creature then let out what sounded like insults as it squeaked at Marik's comment.

Smiling, Illidan turned to Kuriboh and said "Pay no attention to his comment. I know you're just the monster to win me this duel." The small brown creature then turned to Illidan and seemed to smile, although it's mouth was covered by fur, so it was impossible to tell for sure.

Illidan then turned back to Marik and said "Kuriboh may look weak, but he's stronger than you think. Next I'll equip him with the magic card called United We Stand! This gives Kuriboh an extra 800 attack and defense points per a face up monster on my side of the field. Since I have one, Kuriboh thus gains only 800 attack and defense points (1100/1000)!" The small fur ball creature then began to glow as his power increased thanks to the equip card.

Still, Marik laughed at this pitiful site, saying "It's still no where near strong enough to combat Ra Illidan. Don't insult me in thinking your monster could possibly stand up to him, let alone my Berserk Gorilla, which still has 1500 attack points. How pathetic!"

Lightly chuckling, Illidan quickly thought "_That's right Marik, laugh all you want, cause I'm about to wipe the floor with Ra's sorry butt!_"

"That ends my turn." (Illidan 900, Marik 1100)

Still chuckling, Marik drew and said "This duel is about to end Illidan. Watch as I'm about to show my Winged Dragon's true power by wiping out that pathetic Kuriboh! Winged Dragon of Ra, destroy his Kuriboh and the rest of his life points with Blaze Cannon!" Ra then roared as it began powering up. As before, a huge blast of energy began to form on it's back, and then the energy moved to Ra's mouth. At long last, Ra spat a huge fireball at the small brown monster, knowing that the blast was overkill.

In the crowd, Marie screamed out "No, Illidan, you can't lose this duel!"

Smiling up at Marie as she said this, he then said "Oh Marik, I have a surprise for you. You've triggered my face down magic card, Scapegoat! Now thanks to this magic card, I gain four Scapegoat Tokens (0/0) in defense mode on my side of the field!" Suddenly four small goats appeared on the field. There was a blue one, orange one, a pink one, and a red one.

Marik only looked on and laughed at this development, saying "You know perfectly well those monsters can't block my attack! Why bother playing such a foolish move?"

Chuckling, Illidan said "I bet you're wondering why I'd bother. Well, the reason is to help out Kuriboh."

Clueless, Marik said "Huh? How does that help your Kuriboh?"

Laughing, Illidan pointed at Kuriboh as suddenly it glowed with newfound power. "You see, when I set off Scapegoat, I brought out four more monsters, thus triggering United We Stand. Now that I have five face up monsters, Kuriboh's attack and defense points change (3200 + 1100 4300/3200 + 1000 4200)!" With that, the holo stats on Kuriboh updated as Kuriboh continued to glow brighter and brighter with it's newfound power.

"This cannot be! Your Kuriboh is stronger than my Winged Dragon of Ra!" cried out Marik.

Nodding, Illidan replied "That's right Marik! And now, your Winged Dragon of Ra will be destroyed at the hands of my Kuriboh! Kuriboh, counter attack Ra's attack with Fuzz Blast!" As Ra's attack was about to hit, the small fur ball dodged and took flighty straight at the Egyptian God. Then in a rash decision, the small fur ball flew straight into Ra's mouth, causing Ra to make a gulping sound.

Shocked at this, Marik yelled "What is he doing to my dragon?"

Suddenly, Ra's mid section began to glow. The glow became brighter and brighter till suddenly, an explosion happened right at the source of the light. Ra roared in horror as his midsection had been destroyed, causing the dragon roar even more loudly as it exploded into millions of pieces. In the debris of the explosion, a charred little fur ball popped out and landed safely back on the field in front of Illidan. The explosion from Ra had forced Marik to come literally crashing to his knees.

Illidan still stood tall though, saying "You see Marik, the Kuriboh attack by exploding when they make contact with the enemy. Since Ra ate my Kuriboh and had lower stats, the explosion just turned him inside out. So much for your invincible Egyptian God Card."

Marik just sat on his knees in total shock. He finally said "How could my Winged Dragon of Ra be destroyed, and by a Kuriboh at that? Never has this happened before in any of my duels."

Then with a heavy sigh, Marik stood and placed his hand over his deck, a sign known through out the world as a way of conceding.

Curious, Illidan asked "Does that mean you forfeit for sure Marik?"

Nodding, Marik sadly said "Yes. I'd rather not see my Berserk Gorilla destroyed this turn. Good duel Illidan."

Smiling, Illidan replied "Good duel Marik."

"The winner of this duel is Illidan Stormrage." the judge then declared.

Illidan then slowly walked over to Marik and extended his hand.

Smiling sadly, Marik said "That was an excellent strategy Illidan. I didn't know what you was trying to do by summoning Kuriboh in attack mode. Nor did I understand equipping it with United We Stand. It's rather good strategy. It's taught me to not to underestimate any monster ever again."

Smiling back, Illidan replied "Thanks Marik. And by the way, you had some excellent moves yourself."

The judge then interrupted the two as he walked over and handed both of Illidan's title belts to him. Smiling Illidan then threw each onto his shoulders.

Marie and the others then ran onto the field from the bleachers to congratulate the two on a great duel. As well, Odion and Ishizu complemented Marik on his duel, and told him to not be sad, he did excellent. Marik smiled and nodded and the celebration continued on till the next duel was ready to begin.

Elsewhere in the Duel Tower though, Gozaburo was screaming about Marik's loss, saying "That fool! He failed to beat Illidan as well!"

He then quickly stood up and used his Millennium Crown to throw a wave of energy, which was created from his anger, into the wall, easily cracking the wall.

At long last, Gozaburo finally calmed down, and began one of his usual evil laughs, saying "I've got the perfect idea! It's time for the tag team duels, and I'll have Illidan and his own choice of partner duel Marik and Yugi for the Tag Team Titles tonight! It will be great seeing how both have Egyptian God Cards! And Illidan will lose, once and for all!"


	27. Chapter 27: My Partner is Who?

**Hey guys. Thanks for all the readers who keep reading, and thank you Metal Overlord 2.0 for your review. Yeah, Illidan is kind of laid back. In a way, I kind of took how I am and applied it to him. I'm laid back, yet I can be serious when need be. Lol, and I did pay a lot of attention to details. Sometimes I ponder if too much, but if I did, oh well. But again, thanks for your review. I'm glad to get a bit of feedback. It lets me know if this story is actually being understood or not, lol. Anyways, without further ado, here is today's chapter. Everyone feel free to review it. I like knowing people's opinions. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 27**

Once the duels of the day had finished, the stats were all updated. The duel results appeared like so: Illidan had won his duel against Marik; Yugi defeated Joey; Marie won a hard fought battle against Seto; Noa easily overcame Bandit Keith; and Bakura won a close duel against Mai. The stats revealed the following: 1st Yugi Moto, 2nd Illidan Stormrage, 3rd Marik Ishtar, 4th Marie O'Dell, 5th Seto Kaiba, 6th Noa Kaiba, 7th Bakura Ryou, 8th Joey Wheeler, 9th Mai Valentine, and 10th Bandit Keith.

After a hard day of dueling, all the duelists lounged around the tower in their rooms. Each had had a hard day.

Then around six o'clock that night, the PA system came on, saying "Duelists, may I have your attention please. Mr. Gozaburo has decided to hold a tag team duel tonight for the Tag Team Titles. The first team will consist of Yugi Moto and Marik Ishtar."

Almost everyone in the tower gasped. Yugi and Marik had at one time been bitter rivals at the Battle City Tournament, so everyone wondered if they could fight as a team. They had fought hard against each other, but it had been the dark side of Marik that had dueled Yugi really, not his good side. When the good side of Marik had returned, Marik and Yugi became quite good friends.

The PA then buzzed again as the man said "The other team will consist of Illidan Stormrage and his partner of random choice. This duel will start at seven, so duelists competing, ready your decks."

Slightly growling, Illidan thought "_Great, Gozaburo is trying to force me into another duel. No matter. I'll win this duel, but I wonder who my partner is?_"

With only ten minutes before the duel, Illidan heard a knock on his door. Quickly racing over to see who it is, he flung the door open to see that it was the dueling judge. He was standing there holding a small box of some kind.

Smiling, the judge said "Alright Illidan, you will now draw from this box to see who your partner is. Please reach in and pull out a lottery number."

Slowly reaching in, Illidan pulled out a small ball that was marked with the number four.

Nodding, the judge said "Illidan, whoever is ranked fourth is your partner tonight."

Looking at his stats sheet, he smiled and said "How about that, it's Marie O'Dell."

Shocked, Illidan said "Huh? You mean my partner is Marie?"

Nodding in reply, the judge then said "Yes, she is. Good luck Illidan. By the way, you might want to hurry and tell her that she is your partner."

With that, the judge then turned and left Illidan there still in shock. Quickly shaking himself free of it, he ran back into his room and grabbed his deck and Duel Disk. He then quickly ran down the hall to Marie's room and knocked on it.

After a few minutes, a sleepy eyed Marie appeared at the door.

Yawning, she said "Illidan, what is it? You just woke me up from a very nice dream I was having."

Shaking his head, Illidan said "Marie, I just found out who my partner is for the tag team duel tonight. It's you!"

Shocked, she opened her eyes completely and yelled "What?"

Smiling, he replied "It's you! So, hurry up and grab your Duel Disk and deck!"

Fully waking up, Marie quickly ran back into her room and grabbed both her Duel Disk and deck. Then together, the two ran for the elevator. Once there, they saw Yugi and Marik, along with the judge, waiting on them. They arrived panting, for they had run full speed to make it on time.

The judge then spoke up and said "Well, now that everyone is here, we can head on up. Please board the elevator."

All five stepped on board the elevator. The elevator buzzed to life and flew to the top of the tower in what seemed like only a few moments. Once arriving, the five moved off the elevator and towards the lit up ring. In the background, the sun was setting, making it the perfect time of the day to duel. The crowd had already gathered in the stands and was eagerly waiting to see the duel.

Quickly, the judge moved to his usual position and said "Duelists, the following duel is a tag team event. The winners of this duel will become the Tag Team Champions! Now, the turns will be set by the highest ranking duelist. Since Yugi Moto currently is ranked first, his team has choice of who will take the first turn. Since Illidan is ranked second, he will decide who goes second. So, teams, decide."

Both Yugi and Marik began to talk it over, and after a moment, Yugi replied "Marik shall go first. I will go third."

Nodding, the judge then turned to Illidan and Marie, saying "Illidan and Marie, give me your choice."

Quietly, Illidan asked Marie if she cared which of them should go first, and she replied simply that she didn't care either way.

Illidan then turned to the judge and said "Marie shall go second, which means I will go fourth."

Nodding, the judge then said "Very well duelists. The order shall be Marik Ishtar, Marie O'Dell, Yugi Moto, and finally Illidan Stormrage. Also, nobody is allowed to attack on their first turn. That means you must all wait till the first duelist starts their second turn. Finally, you will each start with only 4000 life points. Now duelists shake hands and proceed to your positions."

All four met in the middle of the field and shook hands, wishing one another luck. Slowly, each moved to the marks on the field for where tag team duelists would stand.

"Duelists, shuffle your decks and then activate your Duel Disks, and bring out your Deck Masters." ordered the judge.

Before shuffling his deck, Illidan noticed that Yugi stood there for a moment and then he said him say "Yu-Gi-Oh!" Suddenly, the Millennium Puzzle glowed, causing Yugi to transform. He became taller, his hair became much more spiked, and his face seemed to change. Illidan quickly realized though that Yugi had transformed into Yami.

"_So, Yami is going to duel as usual. Figures he would._"

All four then shuffled their decks and then stuck them into their Duel Disk deck slots. Then simultaneously, each fired their holographic projectors. Then all of their Duel Disks unfolded at once and lit up.

Yami then said "I summon my Dark Magician (2500/2100)." A large magician dressed in purple robes then appeared beside Yami.

Smiling, Marie said "Come forth my Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000)." A large pink skinned angel with golden wings then appeared beside of Marie.

"Time for my Puppet Master (0/0) to make its appearance." called out Marik. His large odd looking puppet monster then appeared beside of him. Once appearing, it gave off an evil laugh.

"It's time for Black Luster Solider – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500) to appear." called out Illidan. The large soldier in black shiny armor that wielded a mighty sword and shield then appeared next to Illidan.

"Duelists, draw your first five cards and begin the duel!" declared the judge.

All four drew their cards and yelled "Time to duel!"


	28. Chapter 28: Tag Team Championship, Pt 1

**Hey guys. Thanks to the two new reviewers from last week. I'm glad to get some feedback, whether bad and/or good. Both help me with my writing.**

**Isis the Sphinx: I know what you mean about the duels. Most of the fan fictions I've read that had duels in them have either been mediocre or horrible. Still, there are a few stories that I've found who have done good jobs with the duels. Those few though don't write much anymore, lol. Ah yes, trust me, there are a few surprises to come.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks for the compliment about the details. Lol, I've seen some duels where not many details were given, and if you weren't into the game, you had no clue what the monsters looked like, so I took as much time on details when I thought necessary. Hehe, Illidan is a bit laid back, but as you said, semi serious. He's kind of just letting things unfold. His deck is quite unique. Most of the cards in his deck are real, or were played a good bit from the show.**

**Alright, now that I've done a little bit of response, on with this chapter. Remember, feel free to leave me a review. All feedback, good and/or bad is appreciated. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 28**

"I'll start this duel off by summoning my Revival Jam (1500/500) in defense mode." declared Marik as he had drawn his first card. The blob of blue jelly then appeared on the field with a wiggle and jiggle.

Smiling, Marik continued, saying "Next I'll play Masked Doll! This magic card keeps me having to pay life points for any of my magic, trap, and monster effects, as well as my Deck Master's effect. I think that will do for my turn." (Marik 4000, Marie 4000, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Looking over at Marie, Illidan nodded to her, signaling her to go ahead and do whatever she could. He then quickly thought "_I bet she wants to win just as much as me. She knows that all four of us have a destiny to fulfill._"

Nodding back, Marie drew her card and said "I summon my Shining Friendship (1300/1100) in attack mode." A small green ball monster with golden wings and blue eyes then appeared. It appeared to have small arms and legs as well that barely stretched out from it's body.

Upon seeing Marie's monster, Illidan felt like doing an anime fall over. "_What was she thinking!_" he silently questioned in his mind.

Marie looked over and saw Illidan shaking his head, but smiled and said "Next I'll set two cards face down. That ends my turn." (Marik 4000, Marie 4000, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Realizing then that maybe Marie had a plan, he quickly thought "_Maybe she's trying to make her monster look weak. She did always seem to fool me in duels, so maybe she has a plan._"

Yami then drew his card and said "I summon Big Shield Guard (100/2600) to the field in defense mode." A warrior with a huge shield then appeared. The warrior then took a one knee stance and moved his shield in front of himself.

"I'll end my turn at that." (Marik 4000, Marie 4000, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Illidan drew his next card and looked at his hand. It consisted of two Slate Warrior's, Spirit Reaper, Snatch Steal, Exchange, and he had just drawn Gamma the Magnet Warrior. Smiling, he thought "_Not too shabby, if I do say so myself._"

He then turned his attention to the field and said "I'll set one monster in defense mode. That shall end my turn." (Marik 4000, Marie 4000, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Marik then said "Back to me then Illidan. Looks like you and Marie need a better team strategy. Now I summon my Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000) in attack mode!" A huge brown gorilla then appeared on the field. It began beating its chest wildly as it's red eyes seethed with anger.

"Berserk Gorilla, attack Marie's Shining Friendship with Gorilla Beam Blast!" The large gorilla then jumped into the air and fired a powerful blast of energy from it's mouth directly at the small green fairy.

As the blast neared, Marie smiled and said "Not so fast Marik! I activate my trap card called Blast with Chain! It increases my Shining Friendship's attack points by 500 (1800/1100)!" A little rocket then appeared on the field and blasted the small green fairy, causing the fairy to glow with power.

Chuckling, Marik said "Marie, that isn't going to win this battle! My monster still has more attack points!"

Chuckling herself, Marie replied with "You're right Marik. That's why I also activate my Rush Recklessly magic card! It gives any monster I choose 700 bonus attack points for one turn! That means Shining Friendship now has 2500 attack points (2500/1100), more than enough to defeat that overgrown monkey! Shining Friendship, counter attack with Friendship Head-Butt!" Suddenly, the small green fairy glowed with more power as it's strength climbed higher than the attacking gorilla's.

Smiling, Illidan had a thought of "_So that is what she was up to. She knew Marik couldn't resist. What a smart strategy._"

With its new incredible power, the green fairy dodged the blast from the gorilla and head-butted the large gorilla in it's chest, causing the gorilla to scream out in pain as it was destroyed easily by the fairy.

"Now thanks to my Deck Master, Guardian Angel Joan, I gain 2000 life points. See, once one of my Fairy type monsters destroys a monster, my life points go up by the defeated monster's attack points."

Half smiling, Marik said "Not bad Marie. I wasn't expecting that move to come from you. I'll end my move." (Marik 3500, Marie 6000, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

"Good move Marie." congratulated Illidan.

Smiling back at Illidan as she drew, she said "Thanks Illidan. Now I summon Hysteric Fairy (1800/500) in attack mode!" A female fairy with bluish hair and glasses then appeared on the field. She had long white wings and a book also in her hand. To say the least, she looked like a bit of a secretary instead of a fairy.

"Next I equip Shining Friendship with Silver Bow and Arrow. It is a magic card that raises the attack and defense of a fairy monster by 300 points (2100/1400)!" The small fairy then grabbed a silver bow and arrow that materialized in front of it and took on a semi serious face.

"Shining Friendship, destroy Marik's Revival Jam with Silver Arrow Blast!" The small green fairy pulled the arrow back on the bow string and fired a the silver arrow straight at the blue plasma monster. Instantly, the arrow pierced the monster, causing it to splatter all over Marik's side of the field. But as it had in Illidan's duel from earlier in the day, the splatters slowly pooled back together and reformed into the small blue monster.

Unsure of what happened, Marie asked "What's going on?"

Lightly chuckling, Marik said "Simple Marie. If you'd have paid attention to my duel with Illidan, you'd have noticed that I played the same monster during that duel. And you'd also know that this monster can regenerate itself by me giving up 1000 life points. But since I have Masked Doll in play, I don't have to pay. So, you wasted your move."

Smirking lightly, Marie replied "Not really. Since I technically destroyed your monster, I gain 1500 life points. I place one card face down now and end my turn." (Marik 3500, Marie 7500, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Yami then drew and said "I play the magic card Polymerization, allowing me to fuse my Gazelle the King of Mythical Beast (1500/1200) and Berfomet (1400/1800) from my hand into Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast (2100/1000)!" Suddenly two beast looking monster then appeared. One looked like a lion that had evolved somewhat and had a horn on the top of it's head. The other was a monster with four arms and had two horns on the top of it's head. Then the two swirled together and a new monster appeared. This one was a two headed beast with horns on each head, and massive wings on it's back. It mostly resembled a lion in a way, except with twin heads and wings. The new two headed beast then roared at the field, trying to make itself seem stronger.

"Next I play the magic card Quick Attack! This allows my new monster to attack this turn. Chimera, destroy Marie's Hysteric Fairy with Pulverizing Pounce!" Rapidly approaching Marie's weaker fairy, the two headed beast appeared to have the edge, but suddenly Marie smirked.

"Not so fast Yami, I activate my face down magic card known as Book of Moon! This magic card allows me to now flip your monster into face down defense mode, thus canceling out your attack. Nice try though Yami."

Slightly growling, Yami replied "I end my turn." (Marik 3500, Marie 7500, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Smiling slightly, Illidan was thinking "_That was close, but she had it under control all along._"

Marie noticed his smile and slightly smirked back at him for it. He got the hint that she could take care of herself and decided he needed to worry more about himself.

Drawing his Kuriboh, Illidan said "I'll summon my Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode." The blue headed fiend with golden armor then appeared on the field with his hand on the hilt of his huge halberd on his back.

"Slate Warrior, destroy Yami's face down monster with Fiend Slash!" Quickly the large blue headed fiend flew across the field and pulled his halberd off his back, and with ease slashed through the face down card image, which revealed the weaker twin headed beast Yami had played earlier.

After the small explosion, Yami smiled and said "Well Illidan, even though Chimera is destroyed, I still get his special effect. That means I can special summon one of the two monsters that was a part of Chimera, and I'll choose Berfomet (1400/1800) in defense mode." With that, the weaker four armed beast like monster then appeared on the field in a kneeling position.

Nodding, Illidan said "That'll end my turn then." (Marik 3500, Marie 7500, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Assessing the field, Illidan thought "_From what I can tell, things are going to be alright, I hope. I only hope neither summons their Egyptian God Cards. If they do, we're both sunk._"


	29. Chapter 29: Tag Team Championship, Pt 2

**Chapter 29**

Marik slowly drew his card and then smiled, saying "Alright Illidan, it's my move, and I'll summon my Bowganian (1300/1000) in defense mode." The small green eyeball machine monster with a crossbow then appeared on the field.

"Next I place one card face down. That shall end my turn." (Marik 3500, Marie 7500, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Looking at Marik's face down, Illidan thought "_I bet he played Jam Defender down. He's trying to weaken us for when he summons his Egyptian God._" Staring at Marie, Illidan wondered if she had picked up on Marik's strategy yet.

Marie then drew her card and said "I'll set two cards face down. Shining Friendship, attack Berfomet with Silver Arrow!" The little green fairy then pulled an arrow back on the bow and fired a pure silver blast at the four armed beast. The beast was easily blown away by the blast, leaving Yami with only his Big Shield Guardna on the field.

Glancing at Marik's field, Marie smiled and said "Now I'll have Hysteric Fairy attack Marik's Bowganian with Fairy Beam!" Straightening her glasses, the blue headed fairy fired a powerful beam from its eyes at the green eyeball machine.

Just as the blast was about to hit, Marik said "Not so fast Marie! I reveal the trap card called Jam Defender! This trap will have my Revival Jam block your attack on my Bowganian!" And just like that, the blue plasma monster jumped in the way of the blast, taking it head on. Splatters of jelly were sent everywhere, but then the jelly reformed into the small plasma monster again.

Slightly sighing, Marie said "Alright that ends my turn then." (Marik 3500, Marie 10400, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Yami then smiled as he drew his card and said "It's my move, so I now sacrifice my Big Shield Guardian to summon my Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) in attack mode." A young girl with blond hair and blue eyes then appeared on the field. She was wearing a skimpy blue and pink set of mages clothing, and wielded a small scepter. If anyone had paid close attention to Dark Magician's face, one would also guess that you saw a small smile on his face.

"Thanks to my Deck Master, the Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl now gains 500 additional attack points (2500/1700)." The mage in purple robes then pointed his scepter at the younger mage and seemed to send her power through it, making her slightly glow as her own strength increased.

"Dark Magician Girl, attack Marie's Shining Friendship with Dark Burning Attack!" Smiling, the mage girl twirled around and then pointed her scepter at the small green fairy, and then fired a sphere of black energy directly at it.

As the blast threatened the smaller fairy, Marie said "I don't think so Yami, for I reveal a trap card known as Negate Attack! This trap will negate your attack and end your battle phase." A small black hole then opened up in front of the green fairy. As the blast came near, the hole drew the blast into itself and then closed, causing the blast to disappear.

Slightly growling, yet smirking, Yami then said "My attack may have been blocked, but I'm not done yet. I place one card face down, and end my turn." (Marik 3500, Marie 10400, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Smiling at the fact Marie had yet again evaded another attack, Illidan drew to find his Alpha the Magnet Warrior. He then said "I'll play the magic card Snatch Steal, and I'll use it to take possession of Yami's Dark Magician Girl!" Suddenly, the female mage seemed to decide to switch sides and quickly moved over to Illidan's side of the field, leaving Yami wide open for an attack.

"Slate Warrior, direct attack Yami's life points with Fiend Slash!" Quickly jumping into action, the blue fiend leapt across the field and was about to slash Yami when suddenly Yami smirked.

Yami then said "I think not Illidan, for I reveal my trap card known as Dust Tornado! Now this trap allows me to destroy one magic or trap card on the field, and I choose your Snatch Steal!" At that moment, a powerful tornado then appeared on the field and burst through Illidan's Snatch Steal magic card. The female mage then was free of it's control and quickly jumped in front of her master to protect his life points, thus causing the blue fiend to stop it's attack.

Growling due that he'd missed a golden opportunity to wipe out Yami, Illidan said "I'll end my turn." (Marik 3500, Marie 10400, Yugi 4000, Illidan 4000)

Marik slightly chuckled at this blocked attack and said "Back to me then Illidan. I draw, and then my Standby Phase starts. Now watch as my Bowganian's effect kicks in. It automatically does 600 damage to both of your two's life points!" The small green machine monster then took aim and fired two arrows, one at Illidan, and one at Marie. Each arrow hit their mark, making both clutch their chests in agony as the arrow hit them each in the chest.

"Next I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back my Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000) in attack mode." The powerful gorilla then returned to the field, pounding on it's chest as it had always done in the past.

Smirking great big, Marik said "Time for you two to meet your end. I sacrifice my Revival Jam, Bowganian, and Berserk Gorilla to summon my Egyptian God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra (1500 + 1300 + 2000 4800/500 + 1000 + 1000 2500)!" Suddenly the evening sky grew much darker then before. Then with a flash of lightning, a golden sphere appeared from the sky like earlier in the day. The blinding light illuminated the entire tower.

Marik only laughed as the sphere floated down closer to the field. He then said "Now to release my mighty beast. Great Beast of the sky please hear my cry, transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. Envelope the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe. Appear in this game as I call your name... Winged Dragon of Ra!"

With that said, the huge golden orb began to transform. Slowly, the form of a golden dragon filled the night sky till finally, The Winged Dragon of Ra was fully transformed. It then let out a terrible roar, making both Illidan and Marie slightly tremble with fear.

Looking at Marie's face, Illidan saw the fear in her eyes, much like his own. Suddenly in his mind, an image of him and Marie in ancient times facing the same monster appeared. Unfortunately, the image didn't last long. Illidan shook his head, trying to regain focus on the duel. "_Together we can win this duel! Don't give up Marie!_"

Marik then chuckled and said "It's time. Winged Dragon of Ra, annihilate Marie's Shining Friendship with Blaze Cannon!" Ra roared as he created a sphere of fire on his back. Then the sphere's energy transferred to Ra's mouth. Ra then roared and spat a powerful stream of energy at the small green fairy. The stream easily incinerated the small fairy. The backwash of the blast then forced Marie to slide backwards, but she remained on her feet.

Chuckling yet again, Marik then said with a small bit of swagger in his voice "That ends my turn." (Marik 3500, Marie 7100, Yugi 4000, Illidan 3400)


	30. Chapter 30: Tag Team Championship, Pt 3

**Well, yet another few reviews for this week. Thanks again to both Isis the Sphinx and Metal Overlord 2.0 for your reviews. Yep, that's right, Ra is definitely in the house. Thanks for the point out about the growling. I used growling mostly due to what I would feel in a way, lol. Anyways, this is the final chapter for the tag team battle. Who will win, well, read to find out, lol. And as always, any kind of feedback is appreciated, so feel free to review.**

**Chapter 30**

Frowning, Illidan stared at his hand and field. He quickly realized that he had nothing to slow down Ra. "_This isn't good. Now Marik has his Winged Dragon of Ra out, and it has more power than anything in my entire deck. I don't know what to do now. I hope Marie has a plan._"

He then glanced over in time to see Marie smile and close her eyes, saying "Not a bad move Marik."

Illidan was shocked by those words coming out of her mouth. "_Has she finally lost it?_" he questioned in his mind.

She continued to smile, and finally opened her eyes to say "Not a bad move at all. But then again, it's time for me to make a much better move."

Chuckling, Marik said "I'd like to see you try it Marie. You have nothing stronger than The Winged Dragon of Ra, and you know it."

Lightly chuckling, Marie replied "Oh, you think so? Then let's find out. I play my magic card called Card of Sanctity! This allows each of us to draw till we hold 6 cards in our hands."

Illidan quickly drew one card from his deck and slightly frowned at his Cyber Jar.

Marie smiled again and said "Excellent cards! Now I'll summon my Injection Fairy Lily (400/1500) in attack mode." A female fairy like creature with pink hair and a nurse's outfit then appeared on the field. She was had a huge needle in her arms.

Marik's jaw dropped, blurting out the words "Are you being foolish Marie? You know that monster has no chance against Ra!"

Laughing, Marie replied "No, I'm not. Watch as I first equip my new monster with the equip card known as United We Stand, raising my monsters stats by 800 points per a face up monster (1600 + 400 2000/1600 + 1500 3100)!" The pink haired fairy then glowed with a bluish-gold glow as her power grew stronger.

Laughing at this, Marik said "That's still not enough to beat my Egyptian God Card Marie! You'll have to do better than that if you want to beat Ra."

Putting on an innocent smile, she replied "You think? Well, let's find out. First though, I'll place two cards face down. Now, Injection Fairy Lily, attack The Winged Dragon of Ra with Needle Barrage!" The sweet pink haired fairy then flew straight for the mighty golden dragon, ready to fight till the bitter end.

Chuckling, Marik said "Ra, counter attack her pathetic fairy with Blaze Cannon!" Ra prepared to counter strike the incoming fairy as if the attack meant nothing to it.

Suddenly, Yami looked like he realized what was going on and yelled "No Marik! You'll lose your Egyptian God Card in that battle!"

Marie laughed and said "It's too late now Yami! Now I give up 2000 life points to activate Injection Fairy Lily's special effect. Now her attack points increase by 3000 points (5000/3100)!" Suddenly the needle the fairy was carrying tripled in size, making her strength appear much greater.

Marik was in total shock and screamed "NOOOOO!"

"Too late Marik! Destroy his Winged Dragon of Ra now Injection Fairy Lily!" The fairy then tossed her needle straight at the dragon, hitting it's mark. The powerful golden dragon roared in pain as the needle was jabbed into it. Finally, the mighty dragon roared one last roar and exploded into millions of pieces. The explosion brought Marik down to his knees. Slowly, he got up, only to be met by Marie's glare.

"Hysteric Fairy, direct attack his life points with Fairy Beam!" Before Marik could say another word, the blue haired fairy shot a powerful blast from her eyes, knocking Marik back to his knees. Again, he slowly got up, but this time stood on shaky knees.

Seeing that she had done all she could, Marie said "That ends my turn." (Marik 1500, Marie 5100, Yugi 4000, Illidan 3400)

Amazed at what Marie had just done, Illidan just stood in aw. "_Amazing! Marie easily took down one of the most powerful monsters in Duel Monsters! She's much stronger than I gave her credit for._"

Yami looked over at Marik and then returned his gaze back to his deck. Slowly, he drew and said "It's my move, and I'll start by playing the magic card Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three new cards, but I have to discard two once I'm done. So, I'll discard my Gamma the Magnet Warrior and Alpha the Magnet Warrior. Next I'll play the magic card known as Dark Core, forcing me to discard one card from my hand in order to remove from play one monster on the field. So, I'll discard Beta the Magnet Warrior and choose Illidan's Slate Warrior to remove from play!" Just like that, the golden armored fiend gone in a flash.

Illidan slightly growled at his loss, thinking "_Darn it, he is going to be focusing on me now that Marie has too much power._"

Slightly smiling, Yami said "Now I'll discard my Valkyrion the Magna Warrior to the Graveyard, allowing me to return my Alpha (1400/1700), Beta (1700/1600), and Gamma (1500/1800) the Magnet Warriors to the field." A gray, yellow, and pink set of magnet creatures then appeared on the field, each looking ready to start a fight. The gray one held a shield and sword, while the yellow one had huge magnet shaped hands, and the pink one had wings and powerful looking fists as well.

"Now, I'll sacrifice all three of my monsters, allowing me to summon my Egyptian God Card, Slifer the Sky Dragon (5000/5000)!" All three of Magnet Warrior's then disappeared in a small flash of light, and the sky then went dark again. Then suddenly, a huge red dragon appeared out of the sky. Its body was enormous. Its head had two sets of mouths. While looking down, the mighty dragon roared, causing a sheer wind to go screeching down to the field.

The wind and the roar themselves sent yet another chill up Illidan's back. In his mind, a small memory of this dragon being in his past flashed. He didn't know why this memory was slightly caused, but it made him still feel uneasy.

Lightly chuckling, Yami said "I'll quickly explain the way Slifer works for you both. You see Slifer's attack and defense points rely on how many cards I hold in my hand. Since I currently hold five, Slifer has 5000 attack and defense points (5000/5000). Continuing with my move, I'll now play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards, meaning Slifer's stats go up (6000/6000)!" With the increase of cards in Yami's hand, Slifer roared yet again as it's strength soared.

"Time to wrap this duel up. Now your Winged Dragon of Ra shall be avenged Marik. Slifer the Sky Dragon, eliminate Marie's Injection Fairy Lily with your Thunder Force!" Slifer roared and opened its huge mouth and began building tremendous energy in it. A sphere of energy was forming it's large mouth. Finally, at long last, the blast was released as a stream of energy at the weaker fairy monster.

Illidan slightly sweated, knowing it was over for Marie's monster, but glanced over at Marie to see she looked rather calm and collective. She even flashed a small smile at the oncoming attack, which made everyone slightly nervous, even Yami himself.

She then lightly chuckled and said "I'm sorry to disappoint you Yami, but I have a trap, and it's one of my favorites. I reveal Mirror Wall! This trap card now cuts all attacking monster's attack points in half, thus weakening your all powerful Egyptian God Card (3000/6000)!" Suddenly, a huge set of mirrored walls then appeared in front of the stream of energy, causing the blast to weaken by half.

Shocked, Yami then lightly chuckled and said "It's still enough to beat your Fairy Lily, Marie!"

Laughing, Marie replied "I don't think so Yami, for I activate Injection Fairy Lily's special effect! I give up 2000 life points, pumping Injection Fairy Lily's attack points up by 3000 (5000/3100)! Now Injection Fairy Lily, dodge Slifer's attack and counter attack with Needle Barrage!" Quickly dodging the blast, the small fairy then took to the air with her massive needle. As she had done before, she tossed her large needle into the neck of her opponent, who happened to be Slifer this time. The large red dragon howled in pain as the needle caused him to fall from the sky. He crashed onto the ground hard, sending shockwaves throughout the tower. Once fully crashing, the massive red dragon then exploded, sending off a huge blast of wind. Yami fell to his knees, for he was truly shaken by the blast.

Illidan watched Yami sitting there, trembling with fear for a few moments till he finally stood, and attempted to regain his composure. He then said in a shocked voice "I'll have to end my turn." (Marik 1500, Marie 3100, Yugi 2000, Illidan 3400)

Illidan just stood there for a moment, soaking in what had just happened. In only two turns, Marie had killed two Egyptian God Cards. That in itself was a shocking feat for anyone to pull off. Realizing now he had to follow through with his move, he slightly nodded at Marie and looked at his deck.

Slowly, he drew and said "I'll play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards." Looking at his two new cards, Illidan could only smile.

"I'll now send my three Magnet Warriors from my hand to the Graveyard, allowing me to special summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850)." The same three magnet creatures that Yami had summoned the turn before now appeared on Illidan's side of the field. Slowly, each then began to break apart at their joints. Together, they then started forming a newer creature. Once finally done, all components of the three had formed on huge warrior. It let out a small mechanical moan as it swung it's huge sword in front of itself to show it meant business.

"Next I'll summon another Slate Warrior (1900/400)." Yet another blue fiend with golden armor then appeared on the field. As the first one had, he had his hand on the hilt of his halberd.

"Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, destroy Dark Magician Girl with Magna Slash!" The large warrior then quickly flew across the field, and in one simple motion, sliced Dark Magician Girl in half, making her scream out in pain as she exploded.

"Next I activate my Deck Master's special ability. Since I destroyed one monster, I can attack a second time with Valkyrion. Valkyrion, direct attack Marik with Magna Slash!" As before, the large combination of magnet creatures took flight again and easily slashed Marik, causing his life points to drop down to zero. Marik dropped to his knees, panting hard after the attack.

Marie slightly smiled at Illidan's move, nodding with appreciation. Illidan then turned his attention to Yami and said "Now, to finish this duel once and for all. Slate Warrior, direct attack Yami's life points with Fiend Slash!" Quickly jumping into action, the blue fiend dashed across the field and pulled his large halberd off of his back. He then slashed Yami hard across the chest, causing Yami to fall to his knees as well. Once on his knees, Yami's life points dropped to zero. He only sat there panting hard, just like Marik.

With that, the judge stepped forward and announced "The winners of this tag team duel, Illidan and Marie! Illidan and Marie, I'm also happy to crown you both the first Tag Team Champions! Congratulations!"

Smiling great big, he ran over to Marie and hugged her, saying "We did it Marie!"

She hugged him back, replying with "We did it Illidan!"

He was so happy that he then picked her up off the ground and swung her around with her feet flying through the air. The judge then handed both their new titles.

Once receiving them, they each looked at Yami and Marik. Illidan then walked towards Yami while Marie went to Marik. Each then offered their opponent their hand, which both accepted, and congratulated the team on their success.

Elsewhere in the tower, Gozaburo was pounding on his thrown, screaming "WHY! Illidan must not be allowed to win anymore! So far, he has won all his duels, as well as two others! All of them must lose!"

Thinking for a moment, he then chuckled evilly, saying " I'll send Joey Wheeler to duel Illidan tomorrow! He'll need all the luck he can get to beat Wheeler!"


	31. Chapter 31: Sealed Items and Betrayl

**Hey all. Well, I thank everyone for their comments.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Thanks for adding me to your favorites and alert list. As for Illidan and Marie's roles in the past, they were involved a good bit. Just early on they weren't.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Joey isn't a push over. He's stronger than many give him credit for. After all, he nearly beat Seto once. True, that was a nearly, but still, that should count as something, lol. As for with Yugi being defeated, well, he had no way to save Slifer really. Once Slifer hit Mirror Wall, he was done for. Anyways, I know Yugi is undefeated, or nearly due to technicalities, lol, but I let him lose a tag duel for now.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks for those suggestions on Illidan's deck, but for the most part, he doesn't play fusion or rely on equip cards for specific monsters. His deck was actually a copy of an old deck I ran, minus a few things. But yeah, Gozaburo is desperate to get Illidan beat, and throwing Joey at him is just another way to try, lol.**

**Ok, so that is everyone. As usual, I encourage everyone to post a review. Good and bad feedback is appreciated. Without further ado, enjoy.**

**Chapter 31**

Finally, after the celebration for Illidan and Marie was over that night, Illidan went to his room to sleep. Lying in his bed, his mind screamed for sleep.

"_I am completely spent. I feel like I was run through the ringer big time today._"

Once he finally fell into a deep sleep, Illidan began seeing a vision of his ancient past as he always had. There he saw himself and the other five remaining Millennium Item holders at a funeral for their great pharaoh, Yami. The entire kingdom mourned for the loss of the pharaoh, as did his closest personal friends, but Illidan missed him the most. They had been exactly like actual brothers their entire lives, but the truth was Illidan was only related due to Yami adopting Marie to his family. To Illidan, it was as if he lost of a piece of his soul that day.

After the pharaoh had been laid to rest, and Egypt tried to return to it's duties, the remainder of the Shadow Court met in the palace to discuss what was next.

"I say we destroy these horrible items! They are nothing but evil and will surely kill us all in the end!" spoke a rather angry Pegasus. Unfortunately for Pegasus, he could no longer see due that the attacks Gozaburo had made on him had blinded him. Now he relied on his friends more than ever to help him, but he was literally fed up with the Shadow Magic that remained in Egypt.

Countering Pegasus, Set said "No you fool! If you destroy them, the Shadow Magic will escape again! Do you want Egypt ruined again by the evil of the Shadow Magic?" Set had as well been injured by Gozaburo during his rampage. He had lost an arm to the madman, but seemed to cope without his arm.

"Illidan, what should we do? Yami left you as his heir to the throne of Egypt when he died. So, what do we do?" asked a saddened Marie. She had suffered slightly, but still, had nearly died due to Gozaburo's betrayal.

Sighing, Illidan slowly rose to face the group. He had shed many tears in the last week since the fight with Gozaburo. Many were over how Gozaburo had hurt Marie, then many over the loss of Yami. He still wanted to mourn for his friend, but he knew he had a job to do, and a duty to fulfill to Yami.

Sighing once more, he slowly began saying "I think we should seal the items away. And I know the person who is right for the job of protecting them for all time."

Turning to Shadi, he said "Shadi, I want you to be in charge of guarding the Millennium Items."

A shocked Shadi just stared at Illidan. His face had great confusion as well as great fear for this duty he was being asked to perform.

Shadi was about to say something, but Illidan held up his and said "Shadi, I have complete faith in you and your abilities. To help you with guarding the items, I shall grant you immortality, ensuring that the items will be forever guarded by you. Please, accept this offer."

Thinking for a moment, Shadi finally said "I accept this duty with great honor. I shall not fail you pharaoh."

Nodding, Illidan then said "Shadi come forward, and I shall grant you the immortality you need to perform this job."

Slowly, Shadi stepped forward and bowed before Illidan. Illidan then pulled his Millennium Key over his head and pointed it at Shadi. Gently, he started creating a life thread from the Millennium Key to Shadi's life line. He had once seen this done by his former teacher, the nomad named Squall. Painstakingly slowly, Illidan created many life line threads between Shadi's soul and the Millennium Key, including ones to help keep Shadi's body in a flawless state. Once finished, Illidan motioned for Shadi to rise. As he rose, everyone noticed that Shadi's eyes were now a ghostly gray. In a way, his eyes looked sort of like someone who had died.

Happy that he had succeeded in creating the link, Illidan said "Now Shadi, you are immortal and are the guardian of the Millennium Items. You will now be able to fulfill your duty for all time. As well, you shall keep your Millennium Scales. If you choose to put them away like the other items, that is fine as well, but you may keep them or take them out whenever you like. Also, you will ensure that if the items are ever needed again, our reincarnations will receive these items. I have a feeling that one day Yami will be needed again in this world. His spirit is locked within the Millennium Puzzle, but it is only his spirit. Before his death, he erased his memories, but he left himself a way to remember all that has happened. Once he figures out what the way means, he will remember everything."

Turning to the others, he said "Me and Marie were made his official Tomb Keepers when we married, but due to circumstances, we cannot fulfill that duty yet, or possibly ever, therefore till a certain time till we can find a permanent solution, we shall have another two people provide security for the pharaoh's secret to reawakening his memories."

Then turning back to Shadi, he handed him his Millennium Key. "Shadi, as long as you possess the Millennium Key, the immortality that I have granted you shall last, unless of course you are killed. You won't succumb to disease or age, but you must be careful, for someone could kill you. Till I am reincarnated in the future and am in need of the Millennium Key, I leave it with you to keep."

Nodding, Shadi took the Millennium Key from Illidan and placed it around his neck. The key slightly glowed at it's new master, making Shadi seem more humbled.

"I promise I shall keep it in my possession till your return Illidan, I promise." replied Shadi as he humbly bowed to Illidan.

Nodding, Illidan then made a motion for the others to follow him, saying "Come, we have one last thing to do before we leave."

Illidan then led the six out of the palace and to a set of tombs. Once there, he took them down into the ground where a large stone was. The stone had seven niches carved into it, each in the shape of one of the Millennium Items. There was already one item there though, which was the Millennium Puzzle.

He then turned to the others, and said "Here we shall store the items till they are needed. Shadi, this is the place they are to rest. Do you understand?"

Shadi quickly nodded and replied "I fully understand pharaoh."

Slightly irritated due that everyone was starting to call him pharaoh, Illidan just turned back to the stone. Staring at it, he realized this would be the final resting place of the items, he hoped. Illidan deeply hoped that the items would never be needed again, but he knew peace was too good to last. He knew one day they'd be needed, but he hoped not for a very long, long time.

Turning back to the others, he then said "Please, each of you step forward and place your Millennium Items into the niche where your item belongs."

First to comply was Marie, who placed her Millennium Necklace in it's niche. Next followed Set, who slowly placed his item within it's niche. Then the others helped Pegasus find his way over to the stone, leading his hands up to where his Millennium Eye would be placed. With a growl from the pain he was in, he slowly pulled his Millennium Eye from his eye socket. Once done, he placed it in the niche the others had shown him to place it in. Slowly Pegasus then walked back over to where the others stood with assistance from Set.

Then there was only one item left, which was Bakura's Millennium Ring. Each of the others stared at the young man left, pondering why he was hesitating.

Illidan knew that Bakura had not been the same since the battle with Gozaburo. It seemed like the sweet young man that loved life and was full of it was now only a shell of what he once was. Now he was much greedier, as well as more jealous and seemingly devious than he had ever been. Illidan had even caught him trying to steal from Yami's treasures that were to be buried with his body the night before, but had let Bakura go with a strong warning to never try it again, for he would punish him the next time. Now it appeared that the same greed was still with him.

The previous night, after he had foiled the attempt by Bakura, he only sat and wondered why the young man had changed. He slowly came to one conclusion. It had been the Millennium Crown's corrupting evil. It had taken something from everyone, and Bakura was no exception. He had lost all his innocence it seemed, not to mention his strong sense of knowing what was right for the world.

Bakura only frowned at the others, and said "Illidan, we shouldn't do this. Think of the greater good these items can do if we continue to use them. We could save Egypt from disease, famines, and war. It would be a utopia!"

Shaking his head, Illidan said "No, it wouldn't be possible Bakura. For every good deed down with those items comes a price. Keeping the darkness within Egypt will not solve our problems. Sealing away the darkness won't solve the problem either, but at least we can keep from destroying everything. Gozaburo reasoned the same logic. He thought that the greater good of the crown's power would outweigh the evil, but he was wrong. You are wrong as well Bakura. I know you think that the items could make things better, but in reality, they'll never be able to save us all. We must give up this power, before it does destroy Egypt, if not the world. So, please Bakura, hand over your Millennium Ring."

Bakura only laughed at Illidan, and replied in a dark voice "You're a fool Illidan! With these seven items, and including the eighth, we could rule the world and keep peace forever! Think of the greater good that would do!"

Sighing and shaking his head, Illidan responded with "Bakura, that would be forcing people against their will though. Forcing people to live under your rule because you want them is not the solution. Using power to command people is wrong, and I won't allow it. Now, please hand over your Millennium Ring. I don't want to have another battle like we had with Gozaburo. He wanted to rule the world with the power of his Millennium Crown, thus forcing people to fall in line. That is not the solution. Only when people willingly live under peace will a true solution be found."

Growling slightly, Bakura then let a chuckle come out, which sounded rather evil. The others had noticed, as did Illidan, that Bakura's face was somewhat different now. He no longer looked the part of the innocent boy. Now he looked the part of a thief, if not an evil villain.

He continued to laugh till he finally said "I've had enough of your lectures Illidan. I believe it's high time someone with the ability to control the Millennium Items steps in, and that's me. I will now take all seven items, including the eighth. I'm warning you all, don't stand in my way, or I will send you to the Shadow Realm."

With that, he started to slowly advance with his hand holding his Millennium Ring out. Power was slowly flaring out of it, making the others slowly step back. Everyone but two people that was. Illidan and Shadi both stood their ground. Shadi went to take the lead, but Illidan put his hand on Shadi's shoulder and shook his head.

"No, I'll take care of this." he flatly told Shadi.

Illidan then stepped towards Bakura, who only laughed. "You're unarmed, not to mention not carrying your precious Millennium Key! What could you possibly do to me Illidan?" taunted Bakura.

Illidan only smiled and continued to walk towards Bakura. Bakura slightly hesitated, for he couldn't understand why Illidan would dare to take him on without a Millennium Item himself. This was what would cause Bakura's downfall. Like Gozaburo, he had underestimated Illidan.

In a flash, Illidan appeared in front of Bakura and punched him hard while Bakura was trying to activate his Millennium Ring. Bakura screamed as he fell to the ground and dropped the Millennium Ring. It landed with a clattering sound, making the others relieved.

Illidan then stood over the young man and turned him over, only to find a pair of blank eyes. Then it hit him instantly what had happened. When he had caught Bakura off guard, Bakura was trying to power up his ring to send Illidan to the Shadow Realm. Instead, the ring somehow absorbed his spirit, much like how the Millennium Puzzle had done to Yami. Feeling some sorrow for his friend, Illidan grabbed the Millennium Ring from the floor. He felt the evil spirit within the ring now.

"It's truly sad that it had to come to this Bakura. Now you'll have to suffer in an eternal prison for your crime." Illidan said sadly.

Illidan then walked back over to the stone, where Marie asked "Is he…"

Before she could finish, Illidan shook his head, saying "He is imprisoned within the Millennium Ring now. He made a foolish move, and has paid for it. To think, our once great friend has turned from an honorable man to a tomb thief."

Then Illidan slowly placed the Millennium Ring within it's niche, nearly completing the missing niches.

Illidan then turned and said "Shadi, I leave you to guard these items. It is up to you now to protect them with your life."

Shadi nodded, humbly saying "I accept that responsibility. I swear, I will guard them with my life."

Nodding, Illidan then turned to the others and said "The items are to remain here. Anyone trying to break in to take them will be dealt with. I trust you all to not tamper with the items, but I want an oath from you all that you'll leave them."

Each Shadow Court member then swore an oath to leave their items, as well as all the other items in this tomb for as long as they lived.

Once it was taken, Shadi then turned to Illidan, asking "What of the Millennium Crown?"

Slightly sighing, Illidan said "I have taken care of it. You see that far wall in this chamber?" Illidan then pointed towards the wall he spoke of. Shadi nodded that he did know what Illidan was talking about.

"Well, behind that wall is another tomb. In there lies the Millennium Crown. I personally sealed it up again. I placed heavy seals on it in hopes of sealing away it's full power, but I can't. My previous seal was strengthened slightly, but I couldn't fully seal it yet again. The power to grant a wish is still sealed away, but that is about all I could seal. Hopefully the seals I placed around it to suppress it's power will work. I can only hope it does last forever."

Nodding, Shadi replied "I understand. I will guard all these items with my life. I swear it."

Sighing with relief, Illidan then said "Good. Also, I will ask sometime in the future for the Millennium Rod and Millennium Necklace. You see, once I find a permanent solution to the Tomb Keeper problem, I will lend those items to the Tomb Keepers. That will allow them to protect the pharaoh's memories for all time."

Shadi nodded with what Illidan said, as if silently agreeing.

"Now, I must be off. I must try to heal the country. With the loss of our pharaoh, the people are deeply saddened. I'll have to try to do the best I can to lead the people back into prosperity. Good luck my friend." Illidan said as he gently hugged his friend.

Shadi hugged back and then released Illidan, saying "Thank you. Don't worry, we'll one day meet again."

Nodding, Illidan said "I hope so Shadi, I really hope so."

And just like that, Illidan woke up. He quickly sat up as usual, and then looked at his Millennium Key that was glowing.

"_So many have suffered because of these cursed things. I should have done something more. There is nothing I can do now but stop Gozaburo from releasing the horrible powers of the Millennium Crown. If he breaks my seal, this whole world is doomed._"

Slowly, Illidan rubbed his sleepy eyes and glanced at the clock to see it was already 6:00 A.M. Painstakingly slowly, Illidan dragged himself out of bed and into the shower. Once out, he felt a bit more refreshed, but still was tired. He decided on eating a toaster strudel today rather than his usual pop-tarts.

Once done eating, he went over to the computer and logged on. The person he was matched up for the day was Joey Wheeler. "_Sounds interesting._" thought Illidan.

Grabbing his deck off of the table where he kept it and his Duel Disk, Illidan quickly ran through it, making sure that it was ready for the duel. Once satisfied that everything was in there, Illidan slid his deck back into its holder and continued to prepare to leave. When he saw it was about 7:30, he decided to head for the elevator. After quickly grabbing his deck and Duel Disk, he was on his way.

Illidan arrived a bit early at the elevator, where the judge stood as usual. Glancing up, the judge said in a shocked voice "You're actually here early for once?"

Illidan couldn't help but grin and simply nod his head. About the time they were to board the elevator, Illidan saw Joey running down the hall.

He was screaming "DON'T LEAVE YET!"

Once he arrived, he stood there for a second panting and finally had them both board the elevator.

After arriving at the top, the judge began his usual speech about the following duel was for the two titles Illidan held and then had the two shake hands and shuffle one another's deck. When handing one another their decks back, each had a comment for the others.

"Illidan, this is going to be a fun duel. I have a feeling lady luck is on my side." commented Joey.

Lightly chuckling at that bold statement, Illidan replied "We'll see Joey. Good luck."

The judge then cleared his throat and said "Illidan, you have the choice of going first or second."

Without thinking, Illidan said "I'll go second."

Nodding, the judge then said "Very well. Joey, you may go first. Now, both of you take your marks and then activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Once that is done, draw your first five cards and begin the duel."

Both duelists slowly took their places and stared one another down. Then simultaneously, they each fired their holo projectors from their Duel Disks. Once they had landed, their Duel Disks then completely unfolded and lit up.

Smiling, Joey said "I'll bring out my Flame Swordsman (1800/1600)." A huge warrior in orange and blue armor then appeared. He had a huge orange sword on his back as well.

Smiling back, Illidan said "And I'll bring out my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The large soldier with black shiny armor then appeared with his sword and shield in each hand.

Both then drew their first five cards and said "Let's Duel!"


	32. Chapter 32: Lucky Duel, Pt 1

**Hey all. Thanks for the wonderful comments pink-kiss-candy and Isis the Sphinx. I'm glad both of you like my story so far. Btw Isis, in Chapter 17, Yugi found out about Illidan owning the Millennium Key. As for Illidan's visions, they're just him recalling his memories for the most part. Hope that helps clear the air up some.**

**Well, with no further ado, enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 32**

As he drew his first card, Joey had a big grin on his face. He then said "Check this out Illidan. I summon my Swordsman of Landstar (500/1200)." A little fairy like warrior with red armor and a red hat then appeared on the field with a sword and shield. He looked more like a creature from a popup story book than a monster.

"_Is he joking?_" thought Illidan.

"I bet you think my monster is weak, but you'll see. Now I'll place three cards face down and end my turn." (Illidan 8000, Joey 8000)

Illidan then drew and looked at the cards in his hand. He had Kuriboh, Pot of Greed, Reflect Bounder, Imperial Order, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior. He had also just drawn another Kuriboh. "_Not too shabby. Now to take care of his little warrior._"

Smiling, Illidan said "I'll start by playing Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards." Quickly drawing, Illidan picked up his Valkyrion the Magna Warrior and Slate Warrior. "_Hmm, I'd better go with Reflect Bounder on this one. No need for overkill._"

"I'll summon my Reflect Bounder (1700/1000) in attack mode." A machine monster covered in mirrors then appeared on the field.

"Reflect Bounder, attack his Swordsman of Landstar with Mirror Blast!" The mirrored machine monster then powered up and fired a set of beams from it's hands directly at the small fairy like warrior.

Joey only laughed, saying "I don't think so Illidan! You've fallen right into my trap! I activate my trap card, Skull Dice!" A little grey colored creature with yellow clothing and a black cape with a black hat with bat wings, as well as black shoes then appeared. The small creature was holding what looked like a red die.

Joey then explained, saying "Depending on the number of the die is how many attack and defense points your monster loses. Now, Skull Dice, roll!" The little creature then let the die go. It rolled and rolled till it finally landed on a six.

"Yeah baby! I rolled a six, meaning your monster loses 600 attack and defense points (1100/400)!" Suddenly, the machine monster seemed to glow with red as it's strength was cut down by the die's effect.

Lightly chuckling, Illidan replied "It don't matter Joey, your monster is still toast!"

"Not so fast Illidan, for I reveal another face down card. This time, it's a magic card known as Graceful Dice!" Suddenly, another little creature appeared on the field. Unlike the last one, this one was a pale pink and had on a white under shirt with pink gloves, hat, pants, and a vest. On his hat, he had small white wings, and in his hands was a blue die.

"Depending on the number of the die is how many attack and defense points my monster gains. Now Graceful Dice, roll!" The little creature then dropped his die. It rolled and rolled till it finally landed on a six also.

"Oh yeah baby! Lady luck is with me today! Now my monster's attack and defense points are raised by 600 points (1100/1800)!" The little swordsman then glowed with a new found power.

Illidan sighed and said "So, you're going to destroy both our monsters then."

Joey lightly chuckled and replied "Not quite, for I have one last card to play. I activate the trap card known as Reinforcements! This raises my monster's attack points by 500 points (1600/1800)." Suddenly the little swordsman glowed with even more power.

"Swordsman of Landstar, counter attack with Landstar Slash!" The small swordsman then leapt into action and dodged the attack made by the mirrored machine monster. Then it quickly slashed the machine in half, causing the mirrored machine to send out a series of sparks as it exploded.

Slightly growling, Illidan said "Alright, I may have lost Reflect Bounder, but I'm not done yet. I place one card face down and end my turn." (Illidan 7500, Joey 8000)

Smiling as he drew, Joey said "Good Illidan, because I want a good challenge, and you seem to be the best at giving them so far. Now watch as I summon Panther Warrior (2000/1600) in attack mode." A panther with a green cape and some kind of armor then appeared on the field. In his hands he held a large sword and a shield.

"Now in order to attack, my Panther Warrior needs a sacrifice. So, I sacrifice my Swordsman of Landstar to my Panther Warrior, allowing him to attack your life points directly! Panther Warrior, use your Panther Slash on Illidan!" The small swordsman then disappeared as the panther grew stronger. The panther then quickly made it's way across the field and prepared to slash Illidan when suddenly a cloud of fur balls appeared in his way as he slashed at Illidan.

"What's going on?" demanded Joey.

Illidan lightly chuckled as the panther simply slashed at the cloud, only to cause a huge explosion, forcing the panther back to his side of the field.

"What happened Illidan?" asked Joey again.

Lightly chuckling still, Illidan said "Simple Joey. While you was attacking, I discarded my Kuriboh (300/200) to the Graveyard. When he's discarded, I can automatically change the battle damage I'd receive from your monster to zero."

Nodding, Joey said "I see. Well, I'll set one card face down and end my turn." (Illidan 7500, Joey 8000)

Illidan drew and slightly sighed at the sight of his Mystical Space Typhoon he had just drawn. "_Well, this isn't much help. I guess it's better than nothing though._"

After thinking about it, Illidan finally said "I play the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, which allows me to destroy that face down card of yours now!" A small typhoon then formed on the field and aimed itself directly for Joey's face down card.

Just as it was about to strike, Joey said "I chain by activating the magic card Scapegoat! Now I gain four monster tokens (0/0) in defense mode." Four little goat like creatures then appeared on the field. Each had a smile on their faces. As well, each was a different color. There was a blue one, a pink one, a red one, and an orange one.

Sighing, Illidan said "Fine, I'll end my turn then." (Illidan 7500, Joey 8000)

As Joey drew, he said "Good, cause I can now do some real damage. Hmm, I'll sacrifice a Scapegoat Token in order for Panther Warrior to attack. Panther Warrior, direct attack Illidan's life points with Panther Slash!" A little goat token then disappeared in a flash of light and the panther glowed once again. He quickly leapt across the field, preparing to slash Illidan with his huge sword when once again a wall of fur balls appeared in front of Illidan.

Curious, Joey asked "What? Kuriboh again!"

Smiling, Illidan nodded, saying "That's right Joey. I discard another Kuriboh from my hand in order to save my life points."

Sighing, Joey said "Man, I really liked that monster when I saw Yugi use it, but man it stinks when it's played against me. I'll end my turn." (Illidan 7500, Joey 8000)

"_Wow that was close. Now I've got to take down that panther, but I don't have any monsters in my hand that I can summon that can take it down. Come on Heart of the Cards, guide me._"

Slowly drawing, Illidan looked at another of his Mystical Space Typhoon cards. "_Odd, I drew nothing of use._"

Sighing slightly, Illidan then got an idea. "Alright Joey, I summon Slate Warrior (1900/400) to the field in attack mode." A blue headed fiend with golden armor then appeared on the field. On his back was a giant halberd that looked like it could cut through anything.

"Slate Warrior, attack Joey's Scapegoat Token with Fiend Slash!" With those orders issued, the fiend quickly crossed the field and pulled his huge halberd from his back. Then in one simple motion, he slashed the blue goat creature in half.

"Now I activate my Deck Master's special ability. Since Slate Warrior destroyed one monster, he can attack again. Slate Warrior, take out another Scapegoat Token with Fiend Slash!" As before, the fiend flew across the field and bared down on the pink goat creature. This goat comically tried to run away, but was slashed in half instead.

"I end my turn." (Illidan 7500, Joey 8000)

Slightly growling at the loss of his monsters, Joey said "Watch the master at work now. I summon Rocket Warrior (1500/1300) to the field in attack mode!" A little warrior in green with what looked like pieces of a rocket attached to him as armor appeared.

"Rocket Warrior, transform into your invincible mode!" declared Joey. Suddenly the little warrior began transforming itself into a small green and white rocket with some yellow.

"Rocket Warrior, attack Illidan's Slate Warrior with Invincible Strike!" The little rocket monster then blasted off and smashed into the blue headed fiend monster. Smoke was produced from the strike, causing the fiend monster to slightly hunch over in pain. Then suddenly to Illidan's dismay, Slate Warrior lost 500 attack points (1400/400).

"What's going on Joey?" asked a curious Illidan.

Lightly chuckling, Joey replied "Simple Illidan, that was Rocket Warrior's effect. When he attacks a monster, he automatically reduces that monster's attack points by 500. Also, if he attacks a stronger monster, he survives the battle during my turn, and I take no damage. By the way, the points drained away from your Slate Warrior isn't permanent. It only lasts for the duration of the turn that Rocket Warrior attacked."

Nodding and processing this information, Illidan said "I see. Your monster reduced my Slate Warrior's attack points by simply attacking him."

"Now you're catching on! Now I'll sacrifice my last Scapegoat Token to Panther Warrior, allowing him to attack your Slate Warrior. Panther Warrior, wipe out his Slate Warrior with Panther Slash!" The small goat like creature then disappeared in a flash and the panther once again glowed as he lunged for an attack. The panther easily slashed the blue headed fiend with his sword, making the fiend cry out in pain. As he fell backwards, the fiend then threw his halberd straight at the panther, grazing the panther's left arm, making the panther instantly drop his shield and let out a roar of pain.

"Hey, what did your Slate Warrior due to my Panther Warrior just now?" demanded Joey.

"You see, your Panther Warrior triggered Slate Warrior's special ability. His ability allows him to reduce the monster's attack and defense points that destroyed him by 500 (1500/1100)."

Slightly saddened by this, Joey replied "Oh well, no worries I guess. I'll end my turn." (Illidan 6900, Joey 8000)


	33. Chapter 33: Lucky Duel, Pt 2

**Chapter 33**

Illidan looked at his deck, thinking "_Please Heart of the Cards, guide me._" He then drew and looked at his Cyber Jar. "_Perfect!_"

Smiling, Illidan said "I'll set one monster on the field and end my turn." (Illidan 6900, Joey 8000)

Nodding, Joey drew and said "Ok Illidan, watch out, cause now I'll play the magic card Change of Heart, allowing me to take control of your monster!" Illidan's monster then quickly switched sides, leaving him completely wide open to a direct attack.

Glancing at what the monster was, Joey chuckled and said "I see you had a Cyber Jar. That would have destroyed my two monsters and allowed us both to draw five new cards and special summon any level four or lower monsters to the field. Oh well, too bad it's not going to happen now. Now I'll sacrifice it to Panther Warrior, allowing him to attack you. Panther Warrior, direct attack with Panther Slash!" The panther roared as the face down card image disappeared in a flash of light, allowing the mighty panther to attack. The panther quickly rushed over to Illidan and slashed him hard with his sword, knocking Illidan backwards slightly.

"Rocket Warrior, direct attack with Invincible Strike!" The small green warrior then transformed back into a rocket and quickly blasted off and struck Illidan hard, knocking Illidan down to one knee and leaving him there panting. Slowly, Illidan struggled back up to his feet. The two blasts had taken more out of him than he guessed.

Smiling, Joey said "That will end my turn Illidan." (Illidan 3900, Joey 8000)

Slowly, Illidan drew his next card and saw it was Spirit Reaper. Slightly smiling, he said "I'll set one monster and end my turn." (Illidan 3900, Joey 8000)

Joey nodded and drew and said "Good, cause now I'll summon Little-Winguard (1400/1800) in attack mode." A small warrior with a blue flowing cape and a small shield and sword then appeared on the field.

"Since I don't want to sacrifice a monster for my Panther Warrior, he won't attack. Rocket Warrior, attack his monster with Invincible Strike!" Once again the small warrior transformed into a rocket and blasted off into the sky. It then came down onto the small card image on the field with a tremendous force, causing a great amount of smoke to appear. When the smoke started clearing, sounds of metal grinding metal was heard. To Joey's surprise, there sat a small grim reaper like creature with a scythe that was holding the small rocket back from harming it. The rocket then left the attack and flew back over to Joey's side of the field and transformed back into it's normal warrior form.

Curious, Joey asked "What the heck is that thing?"

Lightly chuckling, Illidan replied "That thing is a monster known as Spirit Reaper (300/200). It can't be destroyed due to battle. Only way to kill it is with a magic, trap, or monster card effect."

Slightly growling, Joey said "I'll place one card face down and I end my turn." (Illidan 3900, Joey 8000)

Sighing, Illidan silently thought "_I bought myself some time, but how much? I have to find a way to stop his monsters before I lose all my life points. Heart of the Cards, guide me._"

Illidan drew and stared at his Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End. Smiling, he said "Get ready to experience some chaos Joey! I remove from play from my Graveyard my Cyber Jar and Reflect Bounder in order to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" A large black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field, roaring rather loudly. It then looked down at Joey and roared again. Joey stood his ground though, showing no fear.

"Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack his Panther Warrior with Chaos Blaster!" The black dragon then took flight and fired a huge ball of black energy from it's mouth at the weaker panther creature. The panther roared as it was easily incinerated by the blast.

"Time to activate my Deck Master's special ability! Since Chaos Emperor Dragon destroyed one monster, it can attack again. Dragon, attack his Little-Winguard with Chaos Blaster!" Once again, mighty beat it's wings hard, becoming airborne. It then took aim at the small blue creature and launched it's powerful black energy from it's mouth, easily incinerating that creature as it screamed in pain. The two blasts had pushed Joey backwards slightly, but he still stood tall.

"That ends my turn." (Illidan 3900, Joey 5400)

Smiling and lightly chuckling, Joey looked at Illidan and said "Not bad Illidan. This is what I figured this duel would come down to. I knew you wouldn't be out of this duel after only a few attacks, but you should have destroyed my Rocket Warrior while you had the chance! Now watch the master as I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards."

Joey drew his two cards and then put a big grin on his face. "Alright Illidan, get ready to lose your dragon, for I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Little Winguard (1400/1800) in attack mode." The small blue caped monster then reappeared on the field with it's weapons raised for battle.

"Next I'll activate the magic card known as Star Blaster. I sacrifice my Little Winguard to activate this card." A little monster that resembled the Skull Dice card then appeared. This one instead was in a yellow, red, and pink outfit. It held a large green die in it's hands. As the creature appeared, the small blue caped monster disappeared.

"This card allows me to sacrifice a monster to it and then I roll a die. Whatever the die result is becomes the star level of a monster I can special summon from my hand. So, I already can summon a level 4, and at the least I can summon a level 5, but at most a level 10 monster! So, I need a 3 for my plan to work. Go Star Blaster, roll that die!" The creature then dropped the die it was holding. Slowly, the die rolled and rolled till it at last stopped on a three.

Joey smiled great big and yelled "Sweet! That's exactly what I needed. Now I can special summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) in attack mode!" A large black dragon with leather like wings then appeared on the field. It let out a terrifying screech as it then landed back onto the field.

Slightly chuckling, Illidan said "That dragon maybe powerful Joey, but it's not strong enough to take on my Chaos Emperor Dragon."

Chuckling himself, Joey replied "You're right Illidan, but wait till I reveal my face down card. It's the powerful trap card called Metalmorph, which now boosts my dragon's attack and defense points by 300 points (2700/2300)! Not to mention, this card gives my dragon a spiffy new metallic paint job, which transforms him from Red-Eyes Black Dragon into Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon!" Suddenly the black dragon let out a roar as it was slowly covered head to toe in a new metallic armor. It's red eyes still glared through the new armor, and it let out a new metallic roar.

"Thanks to my Metalmorph, Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon is stronger than ever now. Sure, he may not look it now, but just wait till I attack. Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, attack his Chaos Emperor Dragon with Flash Flare Blast!" The metallic dragon roared as it took flight and then twisted it's head as it let loose a powerful stream of energy at Illidan's black dragon.

As the blast neared Illidan's dragon, Joey said "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you something else about my Metalmorph card. During my turn when I attack, my dragon gains half the attack points of the monster he's attacking, meaning your dragon is no longer the strongest (2700 + 1500 4200/2300)!" The metallic dragon then poured more power into it's blast, easily crushing the black dragon it was attacking. The dragon let out a cry of pain as it was blown away by the powerful blast. A huge cloud of smoke then appeared as the blast fully destroyed the dragon.

After the smoke cleared, Illidan was left standing with only his face down card and his grim reaper like creature.

Sneering slightly, Joey said "Rocket Warrior, transform into your invincible mode and attack Spirit Reaper with Invincible Strike!" The green warrior then transformed and blasted off into the air and smashed into the grim reaper creature, thus activating the warrior's effect, instantly destroying the small grim reaper monster.

"That ends my turn." (Illidan 2600, Joey 5400)


	34. Chapter 34: Lucky Duel, Pt 3

**Hey all. Glad everyone likes this duel so far. Thanks for all the reviews also.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Nah, I don't like Joey as a favorite character. He's a good comic relief, but that's mostly it, lol. Still, I don't think he gets the respect he deserves for his dueling skills. As I said before, he nearly beat Seto, so that's got to count for something.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Thanks for the comment on my duels. I take a lot of time to make sure I get the details just right. I mostly brainstorm on them for a few days, then write down the duel. Mostly, I try to make the card images look realistic, which involves painstaking work to find the way a monster would look like, lol. But it's fun. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Besides, people need some details if they've never played the game. It helps imagine the monsters.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, Joey is handing Illidan his butt to him, but Illidan will be fine. He's a survivor, and a fighter, so he'll make it.**

**Well, if anyone else has some feedback, don't hesitate to put it in a review. I enjoy reading them, and responding back. Also, you could have your name up in my chapters like the others. Btw, glad to see another added me to their favorites list. That makes me happy. Well, without further ado, here is another chapter. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 34**

Staring at Joey's field, Illidan thought "_What am I going to do now? With his monster being stronger than anything that I can summon currently, I'm in real trouble. I've got to draw something and take that dragon out. Come on Heart of the Cards, guide me._"

Standing there, Illidan realized if he didn't draw something good, he was finished. "_I can't lose though. If I do, then what will happen to Marie? And what about all my friends? No, I can't give up. I refuse to_!"

"You can do it Illidan. Don't give up." called out Marie.

Looking up, Illidan saw Marie knew he could still do it. Nodding, he then drew his card and smiled.

Smiling at Joey, Illidan said "I'll play Graceful Charity. This allows me to draw three new cards, but I must discard two from my hand once I'm done."

Slowly, one by one, Illidan drew his three cards. Looking at the three he had just drawn, he saw he had Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Blade Knight, and Beta the Magnet Warrior. They were the cards he needed to turn this duel around.

"Now I discard my Mystical Space Typhoon and Blade Knight to the Graveyard."

Joey lightly chuckled and said "I hope you got something good Illidan, cause at the rate this duel is going, you'll be done for before long."

Looking Joey in the eye, Illidan just laughed and replied "I wouldn't count on that one Joey. Now I send my 3 Magnet Warriors, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, from my hand to the Graveyard, in order to special summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850) in attack mode!" With that the three magnet creatures then appeared on the field. Slowly, one by one, they joined together, forming the more powerful magnet creature. Once completed, he swung his sword out in front of himself, showing he was ready for a good fight.

"Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack his Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon with Magna Slash!" The powerful magnet warrior then leapt into the air and flew down straight at the metallic dragon. He then brought his sword in front of himself and slashed the mighty dragon in half, causing a ferocious explosion to ensue, which caused Joey to cover his face as the explosion continued.

"Time for me to activate my Deck Master's special ability. Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack his Rocket Warrior now with Magna Slash!" The mighty warrior once again took to the sky and this time pierced the little green warrior with his sword, causing yet another huge explosion. The force of the explosion even caused Joey to fall to one knee, but he quickly got up, eyes still burning brightly.

"That ends my turn Joey." (Illidan 2600, Joey 2700)

Joey slightly smirked and said "Not bad Illidan, but I'm far from done. I'll set one monster on the field and end my turn." (Illidan 2600, Joey 2700)

Illidan drew and said "That won't save you Joey so long as I have Valkyrion. Now I think it's time to end this duel. Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack his monster now with Magna Slash!" As before, the powerful warrior took off with incredible speed and made a downward slash on the card image. Suddenly a little monster appeared that looked like a clam with teeth and yellow eyes appeared.

Lightly chuckling, Joey said "You just attacked my Jowels of Demise (200/100)! His effect activates when he's flipped. For the remainder of this turn, I control 1 monster on the field, and since you only have one, I choose your Valkyrion." With that, Valkyrion quickly switched sides for the moment.

Slightly irritated that he was delayed on finishing Joey, Illidan said "Fine, I'll end my move." (Illidan 2600, Joey 2700)

Joey started to draw, but then stopped. From what Illidan could tell, he was in deep thought. "_I don't blame him. With our life points this close, he has to draw something good._"

"You can do it Joey!"

Both Illidan and Joey looked up, seeing Yugi had yelled the words of encouragement.

"I believe in you pal. I know you can do it. Just trust your deck." called out Yugi once again.

Nodding, Joey said "Thanks Yug."

Joey then drew his card and smiled with confidence. He then said "Alright Illidan, check this out. I'll set this monster in defense mode and end my turn." (Illidan 2600, Joey 2700)

Drawing, Illidan decided it was time to finish things off. He said "Prepare for the end Joey."

Drawing his Monster Reborn, Illidan glanced at Joey's field. "_Alright, he has one monster on the field. That's all he has going for him. I hope that monster isn't a threat. I've got to take it down though._"

Deciding it would be better to play it safe, Illidan said "Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack his monster with Magna Slash!" The powerful warrior then flew into the air and sliced Joey's monster card image in half. From the ruined card image popped out a monster that looked semi like a jar, yet like a tree also.

Joey only burst out loud laughing, saying "You just did it now Illidan! You flipped my Fiber Jar (500/500)! Now we both take all the cards from our hands, fields, and Graveyards and combine them with our decks. Then we reshuffle and draw 5 new cards."

Slightly growling at his judgment to attack, Illidan said "Alright."

Both Joey and Illidan then reshuffled all the cards from their Graveyards, hands, and fields into their deck and drew five new cards. Comically enough, Illidan drew his three magnet warriors, Valkyrion, and Kuriboh.

Realizing he couldn't risk Valkyrion or his Magnet Warriors yet, Illidan said "I have to end my turn." (Illidan 2600, Joey 2700)

Smiling like the Cheshire Cat, Joey said "Illidan, I'm about to take you down and win this duel. I now summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode!" A black and white armored knight then appeared on the field. His armor looked rather thick, and he had a powerful looking sword attached to his right arm.

"Now it's time to unveil my Flame Swordsman's Deck Master ability. He has the ability to transfer his own attack points to warrior type monsters, so I now transfer 1200 of Flame Swordsman's attack points to Gearfried's attack points (3000/1600). Now Gearfried, direct attack Illidan's life points with Iron Slash!" The knight let out a battle cry and came flying across the field straight at Illidan.

"No, Illidan, hang in there!"

Looking up, Illidan saw that Marie was the one that screamed those words.

Smiling, Illidan then discarded his Kuriboh, causing yet another fur ball blockade to appear. The knight slammed his sword into the blockade, but was very unsuccessful at hitting Illidan.

"Not that little fuzz ball again. I used to love seeing Yugi play it, but getting it used against me three times today stinks! I'll end my turn." (Illidan 2600, Joey 2700)

Smiling, Illidan drew and saw it was his Chaos Emperor Dragon again. Knowing he couldn't summon it yet, he then said "I send my three magnet warriors from my hand to the Graveyard, allowing me to summon my Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850) back in attack mode!" Once again, the mighty warrior that was a combo of the three weaker ones reappeared on the field.

"Valkyrion, attack his Gearfried the Iron Knight with Magna Slash!" Quickly crossing the field, the warrior easily slashed the iron knight in two with his powerful sword.

"Time to finish this duel Joey with the help of my Deck Master. Valkyrion, direct attack his life …"

"Joey!"

Illidan and Joey both looked up to see it was Mai that had screamed at him. Her face said it all, that she was hoping against all odds he could pull out a win, and that he wouldn't lose hope.

Sighing slightly, and then smiling at Illidan and Mai, Joey said "It's alright Mai. Finish it Illidan. You win!"

Nodding, Illidan then prepared to finish the duel with his last command. "Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, direct attack with Magna Slash!" The powerful warrior then quickly crossed the field and slashed Joey, causing the last of his life points to disappear.

With that, Joey's Duel Disk then powered down. Illidan then walked over to Joey and offered a helping hand. Joey gladly accepted and they shook hands.

Smiling, Illidan said "Great duel Joey."

Nodding, Joey smiled back and said "You didn't do too bad yourself. It was an honor to duel you Illidan."

Lightly chuckling, Illidan said "It was an honor to duel you too Joey."

The judge then walked to the center, declaring Illidan the winner.

Meanwhile down in the tower in his office, Gozaburo was tearing his office apart, screaming "HOW CAN HE KEEP WINNING? This can't be! He must lose!"

After finally calming himself, Gozaburo then began laughing manically, and said "He may have won this duel, but he'll lose the next one! I'll have the top five and the bottom five duel each other. Illidan will face four opponents next time! That will do it. That will destroy Illidan, once and for all!"


	35. Chapter 35: Alliance

**Hello everyone. Well, glad to see everyone has enjoyed my story so far. Ah yes, let me explain the idea of a five way duel. Pretty much, it's a simple five person free-for-all. It's five people, all after the win. Basically, it's kind of like the four way duel that was on the show between Kaiba, Marik, Yugi, and Joey, except with five people this time, lol. Also, there are two of them, one for the bottom five ranked duelists, which goes from 6th to 10th place, and then the other for the top five duelists, which is 1st to 5th. Thought I'd clear that up before everyone got confused.**

**Well, now that that is explained, I hope you all enjoy.**

**Chapter 35**

The day's stats were finally tallied up later that afternoon. Illidan had won his duel, leaving people open for a move. Yugi won his duel against Seto, which was a clash of the God Cards to be remembered. Marie remarkably won her duel against Marik. She even faced down the Winged Dragon of Ra and still won. The next duel was won by Mai. Keith was defeated easily by her. The final duel was between Bakura and Noa. Noa nearly won, but the Bakura edged Noa out of a win.

The rankings were slightly altered to the following: 1st Yugi Moto, 2nd Illidan Stormrage, 3rd Marie O'Dell, 4th Marik Ishtar, 5th Seto Kaiba, 6th Bakura Ryou, 7th Noa Kaiba, 8th Mai Valentine, 9th Joey Wheeler, and 10th Bandit Keith. With the few changes to the tournament rankings, the question was still up in the air, who would be #1 at the end.

After the day of dueling ended at 3:00 P.M., the intercom came on with Gozaburo saying "Attention duelists. I'm impressed by your duels today, and I think it's time to kick this tournament up a notch. Today, starting at 4:00 P.M., there will be the first of two 5-way duels. The first 5-way duel will be between ranks sixth through tenth. The winner of this duel will receive an Intercontinental Title shot on the tenth day of dueling. Also, the winners will improve their rank to whatever position they finish. The winner of this duel will become the new sixth ranked duelist, and so on down the line. Finally, the second 5-way duel will be between ranks first through fifth. They will be competing for something more. They will be competing for Illidan's Intercontinental and World Championships!"

Illidan was sitting in his room when he was hearing this, and yelled out "No way!"

Illidan was in total shock. Now he had to defend his titles against four opponents at once! The odds were being stacked against him, that much was for sure.

Gozaburo then continued on after an evil chuckle, saying "Also, the order will be the winner as first ranked, and so on. I hope you all enjoy this set of duels. Also, I should mention that at 8:00 P.M. tonight, there will be a Tag Team Championship duel. It will be Illidan and Marie vs. Joey and Mai. I hope you all will enjoy this as well! That is all!"

The intercom then blared an evil laughter till finally it shut down.

Growling slightly, Illidan said a loud to himself "That darn Gozaburo! He just had to throw me into a duel that will be almost impossible to win. He knows that those four will do all they can to get my titles. I guess I'd better start preparing for this duel though."

There was suddenly a knock at his door though before he could grab his deck from the table where his Duel Disk lied. Illidan slowly went over to the door and opened it to find Marie standing there.

Surprised, he said "Marie…"

Slightly smiling, she asked "May I come in?"

"Umm, sure." he slowly responded.

"Thanks."

Walking in, the two then sat down on the couch where Illidan had been sitting moments before.

Turning to him, Marie had a look of uncertainty on her face, and said "Illidan, what are you going to do about this 5-way duel?"

Lightly chuckling, Illidan responded with "The only thing I know how to do. Duel with all I have and hope I win."

Nodding, Marie then said "Illidan, the odds are against you, and you know it. There are three Egyptian God Cards against you, and you know that you can't fend off even those odds."

Sighing, he replied "I know it will be hard, but I will find a way. I have to if I'm to fulfill this prophesy of yours, or am I not the one?"

Taking his hand in hers, Marie stared into Illidan's eyes and replied "I have no doubt you are the one. But even you must admit the odds aren't in your favor this time. Along with three Egyptian Gods, you have to contend with me, and you know I won't hold back on you."

He slightly nodded, and prepared to speak, but she then said "But I have a suggestion to make to you."

Staring into her eyes, Illidan wondered what she could be talking about, but half guessed and said "Ok, you're not going to say quit and give up shamefully, because you know I won't. I've never backed down, and just cause I have these kind of odds against me I won't start now."

Slightly giggling, she shook her head, making Illidan slightly sigh and say "Alright Marie, what is your suggestion then?"

Smiling at him, she said "We could ally against them. We are after all the Tag Team Champions, and we should be able to take on three opponents rather than each of us take on four duelists. What I'm saying is that we take out the other three opponents together. Once we've gotten rid of Seto, Yugi, and Marik, we finish the duel the way it should be, which is me vs. you, winner takes all. What do you say?"

Smiling, Illidan thought for moment and said "Your idea is an intriguing one. I like it. We should ally. That way we have a better chance of survival, but are you alright with this idea? I don't want you to feel you should have to help me."

Giggling once again, she looked straight into his eyes, seemingly looking into the depths of Illidan's soul. He stared back, thinking "_Those eyes are so beautiful. It seems like forever since I've seen them, yet I see them each day. And I saw them for so long in ancient Egypt. Wow, it's been five millennia since I've just sat and stared right into her soul like this._"

Smiling, she brought his hand up to her cheek, slightly rubbing it against it and said "You know I wouldn't purposely ruin my chances of winning Illidan. I want to help, because I know it will be difficult to take down all three of the others. Each holds an Egyptian God Card, thus making them extra dangerous. But more than anything, I want for each of us to have a chance to win the duel. This way, we will."

With a smile playing across his face as she rubbed his hand across her face, he said "Alright Marie, we'll do it. We'll help each other as a team in the duel. But we need to formulate some sort of strategy."

She then slowly let go of his hand and "I agree. Who do we need to take out first?"

Thinking slightly, Illidan finally said "Seto is the most dangerous and most explosive of the three. Plus, knowing him, he'll not help anyone. I think Yugi and Marik will probably team up like we are."

Nodding, Marie replied "I agree. Seto must go first if we're to succeed."

Illidan then thought again, and said "Marik is next. The Winged Dragon of Ra is the strongest of the God Cards, and will be the hardest to take down. I think once Seto is gone, we need to focus on Marik."

Marie shook her head, and said "I'm thinking Yugi though Illidan. Slifer is powerful, and will take some team work to take down."

Shaking his head, Illidan responded "Slifer is powerful, but it takes Yugi longer to summon him. I think we should take out the faster of the two. Marik can summon Ra easily by using Monster Reborn if necessary, so we should focus on Marik. Once he's gone, Yugi won't take too much to beat."

Sighing, Marie finally said "Alright, we'll play it your way, but if Yugi looks like he's going to summon Slifer, I'm going after him."

Nodding, Illidan said "I understand. Don't worry, we'll get them both out of the duel, hopefully."

Smiling, Marie then stood up and said "Ok. Well, I should start getting ready. We don't want to be late for the first 5-way duel."

Nodding, Illidan replied "Nope. I'll meet you there."

Smiling brilliantly, she said "Ok."

As Marie prepared to leave, Illidan took her hands and kissed the tops of them.

With much love shining in his eyes, he said "I love you so much Marie."

Staring back into his eyes, she said "I love you too Illidan."

Slowly, he cupped her chin and kissed her strongly, letting the small amount of passion flow strongly from his lips to hers. Finally, the both separated and she slowly walked out of his room.

Once she was gone, Illidan smiled at himself and said "Some things will never change."


	36. Chapter 36: Five Way Showdown, Pt 1

**Hey all. Thanks for the reviews so far.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you really like this story. Lol, it's a long one, but I put a lot of work into it. I'm just glad you like it.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks for the comments as well. I thought about giving him a powerful card or two, but I decided to hold off till later. Hehe, wait till you see the final day of dueling, for there is a surprise for him. Btw, what makes Gozaburo so confident, well, let's just say it'll be one of the toughest battles anyone has seen yet.**

**Anyways, thanks for the comments guys. Feedback is always appreciated. Well, with no further ado, enjoy.**

**Chapter 36**

The first 5-way duel was a magnificent sight. In it, it showed signs that everyone was after everyone. Bandit Keith was first eliminated. After a while, Mai finally was taken down. Then in a tag team effort, Joey and Noa took down Bakura. That left Joey and Noa at each others throats. The two dueled for what seemed forever, but was really only thirty minutes. After thirty minutes though, Joey finally took down Noa.

As the winner, Joey was granted an Intercontinental Title shot against whomever it was on day ten of the tournament, which meant he had only four more days to prepare. Also, the rankings changed. Suddenly, Joey was now 6th, Noa 7th, Bakura 8th, Mai 9th, and Keith 10th. This meant that Joey had leap-frogged most of the competition in just one duel.

Now it was time for the second 5-way duel. It would be Yugi vs. Illidan vs. Marie vs. Marik vs. Seto. The top five would also have a chance at both of Illidan's title belts, making the win that much more needed for everyone.

Having four opponents at once meant he had no choice but to fight with anything and everything he had. Before the duel, Yugi and Marik went off into an area on top of the tower alone, and returned about ten minutes later. Once returning, they smirked at each other. Finally, the duel was ready.

The judge gave the signal for everyone to step forward to the middle of the tower. All five opponents and the judge crowded onto the exact center of the tower, each seemingly having different mind sets.

In the stands, Joey was talking to Tea, Tristan, Duke, and Serenity about his win. He kept smiling and thinking back to how he actually did win his duel.

"Good job Joey. Now you can duel whoever is the Intercontinental Champion in 5 days." commented Serenity. Joey slightly blushed at his sister for the compliment.

"Oh yeah, watch out Mr. Champion! I'm coming to kick some tail!" exclaimed Joey.

All of them laughed at Joey as he struck a heroic pose, but he wound up laughing too. His laughter as well as the others was slightly ignored by everyone else though.

Tristan then turned to his friend and said "By the way Joey, what to do you think about this duel?"

Looking back at his pal Tristan, Joey kind of squinted at the field and said "Hard to tell Tristan. I believe Yugi can win it, but the thing is, there's a guy out there determined to win at almost any cost, and that's Illidan."

"You think he can actually beat Yugi?" asked Tea.

Looking over at Tea, he just gave a shrugging motion, as if saying silently "I don't know."

"Of course Yugi will win. He is after all the King of All Games guys." chimed in Duke, who for once said something positive.

"I know Yugi can do it. We all have faith in him big brother." Serenity said to Joey with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I believe in Yugi too Serenity. I just hope he can win." replied Joey.

About that time, the judge then said "Duelists, the following is a 5-way duel for the Intercontinental and World Championships! Also, your ranks are on the line. The first loser will become ranked fifth, and so on up. Now, each of you will start with 8000 life points. The rules are you may help anyone you chose, if you like. Also, you can attack anyone you wish to. The rules are basically the same as a tag team duel. Finally, the turns shall proceed by your current rank, so Yugi Moto will start off the duel. With that said, shuffle your decks and move to the designated spots marked for each of you."

Each duelist then took out their decks and shuffled their deck. Once each finished, each stuck their decks in their Duel Disks and then went to their designated spots.

Once in his spot, Yugi cried out "Yu-gi-oh!" Suddenly, Yugi was transformed into the pharaoh, Yami.

The judge then stared at the field of five and said "Duelists, activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards and begin!"

All five simultaneously fired their holo projectors. Once the projectors landed, their Duel Disks then unfolded and powered up.

Slightly smiling, Yami called out "I'll call forth my Dark Magician (2500/2100)." A mage wearing purple robes and wielding a powerful green staff then appeared beside of Yami.

Illidan then took a deep breath and said "Time for my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500) to appear." Illidan's large soldier dressed in black shiny armor with a sword and shield in each hand then appeared beside of him.

With a lovely smile, Marie then said "That means it's time for Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000) to come out." A large pink skinned angel with golden wings then appeared beside Marie.

Marik let out a small chuckle as he said "Meet the Deck Master that will be your alls doom: Puppet Master (0/0)!" An odd looking puppet like creature appeared beside Marik.

Lightly laughing with some small hint of evil, Seto called out "It's time for you chumps to meet a real Deck Master. Come forth my Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650)!" A powerful looking light blue and purple sea horse warrior then appeared beside Seto.

All five then drew their first five cards, and then Yami drew his sixth card.

Staring at the field, Yami said "I'll summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) in defense mode." A lion like creature with a horn on it's head then appeared on the field, letting out a soft roar.

"Then I'll set two cards. That ends my turn." (Yugi 8000, Illidan 8000, Marie 8000, Marik 8000, Seto 8000)

Illidan drew his card to find his hand consisted of Thunder Nyan Nyan, Monster Reborn, Breaker the Magical Warrior, Waboku, and Spirit Reaper. He just drew his D.D. Warrior Lady.

Slightly smiling, he said "I'll summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode." The red headed monster with drumsticks and a leopard print leotard then appeared on the field as she bashed her drums loudly.

"Next I'll set one card face down and end my turn." (Yugi 8000, Illidan 8000, Marie 8000, Marik 8000, Seto 8000)

Marie then drew and said "That starts my move. I'll summon Shining Angel (1400/800) in attack mode." An angel with huge golden wings on his back then appeared on the field. He was wearing just a normal white looking shirt and white flowing shorts. Also, he had blonde hair that matched his wings.

"Now I'll set three cards. Finally, I'll play the field card Sanctuary of the Sky." The field suddenly transformed into a bluish sky with clouds all around, with a huge sanctuary behind Marie. Then angel then seemed to glow for a second, and then the glow was gone.

"I end my turn." (Yugi 8000, Illidan 8000, Marie 8000, Marik 8000, Seto 8000)

Illidan looked over at Marie and smiled, thinking "_She started out pretty strong. I hope she can keep it up._"

Marik then drew and seemed to scan the field for a moment before saying "I'll summon Drillago (1600/1100) in attack mode." A machine monster then appeared. The monster had many drills covering it's body, including a pair for it's hands and one for it's head, as well as a pair for it's feet.

"I set one card face down and end my move." (Yugi 8000, Illidan 8000, Marie 8000, Marik 8000, Seto 8000)

Chuckling evilly, Seto said "Now, watch as I take control of this duel. I summon first my Mystic Lamp (400/300) in defense mode." A golden lamp then appeared on the field. There was really nothing special looking about it.

"When this monster is summoned, it allows me to special summon my La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (1800/1000) from my hand, which I'll now place in attack mode." A green genie then with a mustache and a small blue hat then appeared from the lamp. He crossed his arms and made a slightly "Hmm, hmm" sound.

"Now, I set two cards and end my move." (Yugi 8000, Illidan 8000, Marie 8000, Marik 8000, Seto 8000)

Back in the crowd, Joey just stared on and said "I guess now we'll see what they are really capable of."


	37. Chapter 37: Five Way Showdown, Pt 2

**Sorry for taking so long to post another chapter everyone. was messed up on Friday, and wouldn't let me log in, not to mention I didn't have time to fool with it, so I waited till last night, which again, it was still messed up, but now it works, so hurray, lol.**

**Anyways, I'm about to post more stuff, and I'm glad everyone likes the five way duel. Lol, yes, Seto is getting his butt kicked, at the moment. I kind of picked on him just due to no real reason. I guess mostly due that he refuses to help anyone other than himself, but oh well. At any rate, here is the next chapter, and I'll post the second one later today.**

**Chapter 37**

Studying the field before he drew, Yami said smiled and then drew, saying "I reveal my face down magic card, Polymerization. I'll now fuse my Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts with Berfomet (1400/1800) from my hand. Now come forth Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast (2100/1000)!" A four armed monster that looked much like a beast monster as well then appeared beside the lion like creature. The two then swirled together and formed a twin headed beast with wings that had horns, which then roared.

"Next I'll summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200)." An elf wearing a green helmet, a blue cape, and brown and tan clothing then appeared on the field. In his hands was a single sword.

"Chimera, attack Illidan's Thunder Nyan Nyan with Pulverizing Pounce!" The twin headed creature then leaped into the air and flew straight for the red headed female monster.

As it was about to make contact, Illidan said "I reveal my trap card, Waboku! This will reduce any damage your monsters would do to my monsters this turn to zero, thus saving my monster." With that, three female mages in blue cloaks appeared, each holding out their hands and forcing the flying beast back to Yami's field.

"Nice try Yami." chided Illidan.

Slightly irritated, Yami said "I'll now have Obnoxious Celtic Guardian attack Seto's Mystic Lamp with Silver Blade Slash!" The elf then leapt into action and prepared to slash the golden lamp.

Seto smirked at this and said "I reveal the trap card called Mystical Lamp! This trap gives my Mystic Lamp the ability to reflect any attack that comes at it or La Jinn back at another of my opponent's monsters on the field. Now, reflect Yugi's attack back at his Chimera!" The golden lamp then had a multi color barrier shine, forcing the elf's attack to be flung back at the twin headed beast with wings. The elf then tried to slash the beast, but failed to, but the elf landed back into his usual spot, making Seto slightly grow.

Chuckling, Yami said "Sorry Seto, but Obnoxious Celtic Guardian can't be destroyed by a monster with 1900 or more attack points, but I still take the battle damage. That means even my own monster can't kill him. Now, I'll end my move." (Yugi 7300, Illidan 8000, Marie 8000, Marik 8000, Seto 8000)

Before drawing his next card, Illidan studied the field for a second. "_Hmm, I've got to make something happen this turn. Chimera is too strong for me, so attacking Yami is out of the picture. Marie and I are partnering, so I can't attack her. Marik looks wide open almost. Seto has that trap card protecting him now, not to mention another face down card. I'll have to attack Marik I guess._"

Illidan then drew and smiled at his D.D. Warrior Lady. Looking at his hand, he then said "I summon D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in attack mode." The female warrior in black and grey armor then appeared. She then drew her sword from it's sheath, preparing herself for a long fight.

"D.D. Warrior Lady, attack Obnoxious Celtic Guardian with Dimension Blade Slash!" With a quick movement, the female warrior crossed the field and slashed the green elf across the chest, causing it to let out moan as it exploded.

"Thunder Nyan Nyan, destroy Marik's Drillago with Drum Bashing!" The red headed monster then leapt away from her drums and struck the machine monster with her drum sticks. The machine monster just lightly moaned as it exploded, leaving Marik wide open.

Marik lightly chuckled and said "You're not going to leave me wide open Illidan. I reveal a trap card called Rope of Life." Suddenly, a rope then appeared out of the ground.

"This card forces me to discard my entire hand to activate but it brings back one monster of mine that was just sent to my Graveyard, and it gains 800 attack points. I now bring back Drillago, and he gains 800 more attack points (2400/1100). So, I'm no longer on the wide open selection." Slowly, the rope then dragged the machine monster back from the ground. Once back on the field, it spun it's drills hard, showing it had a new found strength.

"That ends my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 8000, Marik 7700, Seto 8000)

Marie drew and smiled, saying "That starts my move. I'll first summon Hysteric Fairy (1800/500) in attack mode." A blue haired fairy with white wings then appeared on the field. She looked more like a secretary than a fairy in a way.

"I'll now equip the magic card Silver Bow and Arrow to my Shining Angel (1700/1100)." A silver bow and arrow then appeared in front of the golden winged angel. He grasped both and brought them in front of himself, preparing to strike anything that moved.

"Hysteric Fairy, attack Marik's Drillago with Fairy Beam!" The fairy then straightened her glasses and fired a beam from her eyes through her glasses.

As the beam neared the machine monster, Marie said "I reveal the magic card Rush Recklessly! This card allows me to give my Hysteric Fairy 700 more attack points (2500/500) till the end of the turn! That means your Drillago is about to be turned into scrap again!" At that time, the fairy's beam became larger due to the boost of power. The beam then struck the machine monster, which tried to fight it off, but finally exploded from the power of the fairy's attack.

"Now Shining Angel, direct attack Marik with Silver Arrow Blast!" The angel pulled the silver arrow back on his bow then and fired the shot straight at Marik. As the arrow was released, it gave off a brilliant silver glow. It then struck Marik hard, knocking him to one knee. He quickly rebounded, but was obviously shaken.

"That ends my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 10400, Marik 4900, Seto 8000)

Slightly growling, Marik drew, saying "My move now. I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. Next, I'll play the magic card called Masked Doll. Thanks to this magic card, I don't lose life points for magic, monster, or trap effects that require me to pay. Now I'll summon Revival Jam (1500/500) in defense mode." A blue jello like monster then appeared on the field. As it sat there, it just wiggled and jiggled.

"Next I'll activate my Deck Master's ability, and revive my Drillago (1600/1100) to the field." The odd puppet then screamed and a glow appeared in Marik's Graveyard. Then the machine monster with drills reappeared on the field in a defensive stance.

"Now, I'll end my turn." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 10400, Marik 4900, Seto 8000)

Smirking, Seto drew and said "It's time for me to decimate the field once again. I'll play Cost Down, which forces me to discard one card from my hand. And I'll choose my Sinister Serpent. Now I can summon a level 8 monster like a level 6. But thanks to my Deck Master, all my light monsters were already lowered by two stars. So, I can now summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon without sacrificing at all! I summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) in attack mode!" Suddenly, a white metallic looking dragon with blue eyes appeared, roaring at the rest of the field as it spread it's wings.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Yugi's Chimera with all your might! Use your White Lightning!" commanded Seto with an evil like laughter. The dragon then took flight and opened its mouth. A blinding light poured out from it, easily blowing away the weaker twin headed beast.

Slightly smiling, Yami said "Even though Chimera is gone, his effect activates. I get to summon one of the two monsters that were used to fuse him, so I pick Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) in defense mode." The lion like creature then reappeared on the field in a sitting position.

"Fine. La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp, attack Yugi's Gazelle with Mystical Breath!" The genie the let out a small laugh and shot a black blast of energy from his mouth at the weaker lion creature, easily destroying it.

"That ends my turn." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 10400, Marik 4900, Seto 8000)

The crowd was ablaze after Seto's move. Joey and the rest of Yugi's friends looked on with a major concern.

Joey yelled out "Come on Yug, you can do it."

Tea then called out "We believe in you Yugi. Remember, we're always with you."

Smiling slightly at their words, Illidan though "_They had better give him some encouragement, because Yami needs it right now._"


	38. Chapter 38: Five Way Showdown, Pt 3

**Thanks for the comments guys. I love feedback, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Thanks, and yeah, Illidan and Marie are taking it to them right now, but people fight back. Note that Yami and the others aren't finished yet. They maybe getting pounded on, but there are three Egyptian God Card holders, hence they could still have a chance, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Thanks for that comment. Lol, thanks for leaning towards Illidan. He is kind of laid back and so on. I kind of modeled his behavior after my own, although he's a bit more laidback, lol. Anyways, thanks.**

**Well, if you'd like for me to respond to feedback, remember to review. I love getting some kind of feedback, so leave it for me. Enjoy the new chapter.**

**Chapter 38**

Yami drew his next card and stared at it for a moment before saying "I'll summon Kuriboh (300/200) in defensive mode." A small brown fur ball with green claws and feet, and purple eyes then appeared out in front of Yami.

"Now I'll end my turn." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 10400, Marik 4900, Seto 8000)

Watching and listening to Yami's move, Illidan thought "_Odd, I figured he'd play something else. Oh well, I figure Yami has a plan. Now I'll have to contend with Seto. His Blue-Eyes White Dragon is going to be hard to beat, but I know I can if I believe in my deck. Please, Heart of the Cards, guide me._"

Drawing his next card, Illidan looked at it and said "I'll play Pot of Greed. Now I get to draw two new cards." Quickly picking up 2 new cards, Illidan stared at his hand and mentally said "_Sweet, I drew Change of Heart and Dark Magician of Chaos!_"

Smirking slightly, Illidan then said "Alright Seto, I'll play Change of Heart, taking control of your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The metallic white dragon then roared as it suddenly moved over to Illidan's side of the field.

Seto yelled out "Not that!"

Smirking once again, Illidan continued saying "Now I'll sacrifice Blue-Eyes White Dragon and my Thunder Nyan Nyan for Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode!" With both monsters dissolving, a mage in tight fitting black armor appeared on the field. The energy surrounding him was indescribable.

Smiling at his favorite monster, not to mention his guardian monster, he said "Thanks to my Dark Magician of Chaos, I'm allowed to return one magic card from the Graveyard to my hand. So, I choose Change of Heart. Next I'll play Monster Reborn, and bring back Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!"

Seto gasped again, yelling "Not my dragon!"

Suddenly the white metallic dragon then reappeared on the Illidan's side of the field. It roared down at its former master, making it seem rather ironic that Seto was now against his former favorite monster.

Growling loudly, Seto snarled, saying "Illidan, nobody uses my dragon!"

Lightly laughing, Illidan replied "Too bad I didn't know that. Now, I'll play Change of Heart, allowing me to take control of your Mystic Lamp." Slowly, the golden lamp then switched sides, leaving a bewildered look on Seto's face.

He then asked "Why take that monster? It's useless to you."

"Not exactly Seto. Don't forget, your monster is used as a defense for you. That trap card you have, Mystical Lamp, grants Mystic Lamp the ability to reflect an attack aimed at La Jinn or Mystic Lamp, as long as Mystic Lamp is on the field, and if you didn't notice, Mystic Lamp is now on my side of the field, which means your trap is useless now and destroyed!"

With that, the Mystical Lamp trap card was destroyed, making Seto only growl more.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Seto's La Jinn the Mystic Genie with White Lightning!" The dragon roared as it took flight and then fired a stream of white energy right at the green genie.

As the stream neared the genie, Seto smirked and said "I don't think so Illidan! I reveal my trap card, Negate Attack! This will block your attack and end your battle phase." A whirl pool opened right in front of the genie, easily absorbing the energy stream.

Sighing slightly, Illidan said "Alright, I'll end my move then." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 10400, Marik 4900, Seto 8000)

Marie then drew and said "Time I pick up where Illidan left off. I'll start by sacrificing my Hysteric Fairy for Airknight Parshath (1900/1400) in attack mode." The blue haired fairy then disappeared and was replaced by an angel/horse combo. The monster wore blue and yellow like armor, and had wings much like an angel. In his one hand was a powerful lance, meant to strike down any wrong doers with.

"Airknight, attack Seto's La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp with Fairy Slash!" The fairy/horse galloped across the field and sliced into the green genie with his lance, causing the genie to explode.

"Thanks to my Deck Master, if I used a Fairy type monster, I get the attack points of the monster I destroyed added to my life points. So, I gain 1800 now. Next, thanks to Airknight's effect, I get to draw one new card. Shining Angel, attack Seto's Mystic Lamp with Silver Arrow Blast!" The blonde angel drew back on the bow and fired a silver arrow that turned into a silver blast of energy that skewered the golden lamp creature.

"Hmm, it was in defensive mode, but it doesn't matter. I still get the points added on. Now I'll set one card face down and end my turn." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 12600, Marik 4900, Seto 7900)

Marik drew and glared at Seto, knowing he had no choice. "I set one card face down, then switch Drillago to attack mode. Drillago, direct attack Seto's life points with Killer Driller!" The machine monster's drills began to spin and it then quickly charged Seto. Seto was knocked back a little, but kept his balance.

"That ends my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 12600, Marik 4900, Seto 6300)

Seto growled with irritation as he drew. Then he smirked, saying "Now you'll all pay. Watch as I play the magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards, refreshing my hand. I now summon my Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode." A monster that looked much like a warrior, yet a beast, then appeared. He was decked out in black and slightly green armor, and held a powerful axe in his hands.

"Next I'll set one card face down. Vorse Raider, attack Marie's pathetic Shining Angel with Slashing Axe Strike!" The warrior then flew across the field and was about to slice the weaker angel.

Marie quickly reacted, saying "I reveal the trap Reinforcements. This card raises my Shining Angel's attack points by 500 for this turn (2200/1100). Shining Angel, counter attack with Shining Arrow Blast!" The angel narrowly dodged the sharp axe and then pulled back an arrow on his bow. He then shot the beast monster in point blank range, easily destroying it.

Growling, Seto said "I end my turn." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 14500, Marik 4900, Seto 6000)

Smiling, Illidan gave Marie a small nod, as if saying good job.


	39. Chapter 39: Five Way Showdown, Pt 4

**Hey all once more. Thanks for the feedback so far.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, yeah, he's kicking Kaiba's butt at the moment. I tried my hardest to make this story realistic when the duels took place. That was my goal always to keep from making the duel so unbelievable like the show does, lol. Thanks again for the comment.**

**Isis the Sphinx: 1. Lol, I'm not that fast.**

**2. Yep, they're still kicking butt, lol.**

**3. Usually I don't mention Yugi during duels due that Yami is dueling instead.**

**4. Thanks.**

**5. I shall keep writing.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, I thought it would be nice and ironic if Illidan took Kaiba's dragon. You know how angry he was with Joey taking it during Battle City, so I thought I'd throw that one in, lol. And as for the two updates Sunday, I couldn't log in Friday or Saturday for some odd reason, so I just put both chapters out Sunday. Thanks again for your comments, and I'm going to try to look at your story today or tomorrow one, when I get time. Between work, writing, and trying to just survive, I sometimes don't get time, but I'll try today.**

**Well, that's all the feedback I got. I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter, and leave some kind of feedback for me. I enjoy it, the good and the bad, lol.**

**Chapter 39**

Yami slowly drew and then said "It's my move now, and I'll summon Big Shield Guardna (100/2600) in defensive mode." A warrior with long black hair then appeared. He carried a large shield on one arm. He then took a one knee position, placing the shield in front of himself for protection.

"That ends my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 14500, Marik 4900, Seto 6000)

Illidan quickly drew his next card, which was Graceful Charity. After thinking for a moment, he finally said "I'll now summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode." A maroon robed mage with a sword and shield then appeared on the field.

"Due to his special effect, he now gains a spell counter, which grants him 300 additional attack points (1900/1000)." A small circle of energy then appeared on the warrior's sword, symbolizing the spell counter.

"Blue-Eyes, attack Yami's Big Shield Guardna with White Lightning!" The white dragon quickly took flight and fired its powerful stream of energy straight at the weaker warrior. The warrior tried to withstand it with his shield, but finally the warrior's shield broke, causing him to explode into millions of pieces.

"Now I invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Blue-Eyes, attack Marik's Drillago with White Lightening!" The dragon then toward the machine monster and fired yet another powerful stream of white energy. As the stream neared the machine, the blue blob of plasma energy jumped in the way, taking the hit for the machine monster. The plasma monster then spilled all over the field, but then began to regenerate as usual.

Smirking, Marik then stated "You triggered my trap Illidan. It's the trap Jam Defender. Now you'll have to get past Revival Jam to get to my life points, and of course, I'll now revive my Revival Jam!" With that, the blob pulled itself back together.

Knowing that Marik most likely had that trap, Illidan slightly laughed, saying "I figured you'd use that trap, which is good, cause now I can finish off that monster. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Marik's Revival Jam with Chaos Slice!" The mage then swung his staff in the air, causing a blade of energy to form. The blade easily sliced right through the weaker plasma monster, causing it to explode.

"You're wasting your time Illidan. I already told you it won't work…" But this time it did work, for there were no signs of the plasma monster left.

Marik looked on, shocked, and asked "What is going on?"

Lightly chuckling, Illidan replied "You forgot my Dark Magician of Chaos's special effect removes a monster from play when it attacks. So, when I destroyed Revival Jam, it was removed from play. Your monster requires being sent to the Graveyard in order for it to revive, but since it was removed from play, it can't revive again."

Growling, Marik then realized his monster would remain gone too, which meant a key part of his defense was now gone.

"D.D. Warrior Lady direct attack Seto's life points with Dimension Blade Slash!" The female warrior then quickly crossed the field and slashed Seto, making him slightly slide back, but he continued to stand his ground.

"Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack Seto directly with Magical Sword Slash!" The remaining mage then slashed Seto hard with his sword, causing Seto to fall to one knee and pant for some much needed air.

"You can do it big brother!" called out a voice.

Illidan looked up, seeing that it was Seto's little brother Mokuba had said that. Painstakingly slowly, Seto got back up to his feet once again, showing he wasn't ready to call it quits.

"That ends my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 14500, Marik 4900, Seto 2600)

Marie drew and smiled slightly, then said "My turn again. I'll summon Winged Kuriboh (300/200) in attack mode." A small fur ball, much like the one Yami had out, appeared on the field. This one was slightly different though. It had wings on it's back, which made it slightly different.

"Airknight, attack Marik's Drillago with Fairy Slash!" Galloping across the field, the fairy then swung his lance through the machine monster, easily destroying it.

"Thanks to Airknight, I can now draw one card. Shining Angel, direct attack Marik now with Silver Arrow Blast!" The blonde warrior then drew yet another arrow into his bow and fired a silver blast right at Marik, making Marik slide back from the blast.

"Winged Kuriboh, direct attack Seto's life points with Wing Attack!" Quickly flying across the field, the small winged fur ball then smacked Seto as hard as it could with one of it's wings. Seto seemed slightly annoyed by the fact he was struck by a big dust bunny.

"I end my move now." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 16100, Marik 2900, Seto 2300)

Drawing, Marik then smiled and said "It's my move, and I'll play the magic card known as Card of Sanctity! This allows us all to draw till we hold 6 cards in our hands."

Illidan drew four new cards, which consisted of Blade Knight, Thunder Nyan Nyan, Sangan, and Alpha the Magnet Warrior.

"It's time to finish this duel, once and for all! Now I activate this magic card, Monster Reborn! I bring back Yugi's Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast (2100/1000)." Suddenly the twin headed beast with wings then reappeared, except this time on Marik's side.

"Next I'll activate my Deck Master's special ability, and bring back my Drillago (1600/1100) in defense of course." The machine monster then reappeared on the field in a crouching position as it had before.

"I'll now activate this card, the magic card Double Spell! To activate it, I must discard one magic card, which will be my Mystical Space Typhoon. Now I can activate one magic card in anyone's Graveyard, and I'll choose Illidan's! I'll activate Monster Reborn, bringing back Seto's Vorse Raider (1900/1200)." The beast warrior in black leather then reappeared, holding his axe in both of his hands.

"Now that I have three monsters, I sacrifice all 3 for The Winged Dragon of Ra (2100 + 1600 + 1900 5600/1000 + 1100 + 1200 3300)!" Suddenly the sky grew dark as lightening began flashing wildly across the sky. Then a huge golden sphere appeared in the sky that was slowly lowering itself to the field.

Laughing, Marik then said "Time to release Ra. Great Beast of the sky please hear my cry, transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. Envelope the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe. Appear in this game as I call your name... Winged Dragon of Ra!" With that, the sphere transformed into a mighty golden dragon. Once transformed, it let out a horrible roar, letting all know that it was there to destroy all it's opponents.

"Winged Dragon of Ra, destroy Illidan's pathetic Blue-Eyes White Dragon with Blaze Cannon!" Ra powered up and prepared to blast away the weaker white dragon that Illidan had taken from Seto.

Standing there, watching in horror, Illidan thought "_Darn, if only I had something to stop this._"

Then Ra fired a huge stream of energy straight at the dragon. Just as the blast was about to engulf the white dragon, a wall that looked like a mirror appeared right in front of it, causing the blast to weaken. Illidan glanced over and noticed Marie had triggered a trap card.

Slightly smirking, Marie said "I don't think so Marik. I activate Mirror Wall to protect Illidan. Now your Winged Dragon of Ra's strength is cut in half (2800/3300)!"

Gasping at what just happened, Marik cried out "No! This can't be!"

Illidan smiled and said "Thanks Marie. Now Blue-Eyes White Dragon, counter attack with White Lightning!" The white dragon then rolled out of the way of the blast at the last second, and then counter attacked with his own powerful stream of white energy. Ra screamed in pain as the blast struck it. The blast then proceeded to be too much for the mighty dragon, causing it to explode into millions of pieces. The aftershocks of the explosion caused the whole tower to seem to rock.

Marik only stood there in shock, saying "No, my Winged Dragon of Ra! How can this be!"

After a few more moments, he then lowered his head and said "I end my turn." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 16100, Marik 2700, Seto 2300)

Laughing evilly, Seto said "You amateur, you should have known Marie was going to protect Illidan. Now watch and learn. I first play Monster Reborn, bringing back my La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (1800/1000)." The green genie then reappeared on the field, letting out a small "Hmm hmm hmm."

"Next I'll play the magic card Premature Burial, allowing me to bring back my Mystic Lamp (400/500) in attack mode. Unfortunately, I lose 800 points for that, but that'll be alright." The golden lamp then reappeared on the field.

"Now I activate the magic card Change of Heart, taking back control of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon." The white dragon then roared as it quickly moved from Illidan's side to Seto's, who laughed at this.

"You thought you could take my dragon, but you were wrong Illidan! Now I sacrifice all 3 in order to summon an unstoppable creature known only as Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" The sky then darkened once again. All three monsters then disappeared in a flash of light, and the blue streak of lightening fell from the sky behind Seto. Then slowly, the large blue Egyptian God appeared behind Seto. It stretched out it's arms and gave off a horrific roar.

Laughing evilly, Seto said "You fools are finished now! Obelisk the Tormentor, destroy Marik's life points with Fist of Fate!" Obelisk slowly drew his power into his large fist and then launched his attack, preparing to flatten Marik with all his might.

Marik showed no fear though, and had a good reason not to. "I activate my Puppet Master's special ability. I now return my Winged Dragon of Ra (0/0) to the field in defense mode!" The puppet then let out a scream as he poured his power into Marik's Graveyard. Then Marik's Graveyard glowed with golden glare, and slowly the mighty Egyptian God rose once again to the field.

Growling due that Obelisk's attack was disrupted, Seto said "Fine, Obelisk, crush Ra with your Fist of Fate!" Obelisk was about to punch the mighty Ra when Marik grinned.

Laughing, Marik said "You fell into this trap Seto!"

Clueless, Seto said "What trap? You have no cards in play other than Ra!"

Lightly chuckling, Marik responded "True, but I have Ra. Now I activate Ra's special ability. I now transform Ra into the Egyptian God Phoenix!" Suddenly Ra burst into flames, causing things on the field to really heat up. Slowly, Ra's exterior then exploded and a large flaming phoenix remained in it's place.

Seto could only watch in horror as Marik then said "Now I give up 1000 life points so that Egyptian God Phoenix can destroy one monster, and that one monster is Obelisk!" The two Egyptian Gods then collided, but Ra caused Obelisk the burst into flames, which then caused Obelisk to explode, sending yet another fierce shockwave through the tower. Ra then slowly let out a roar as he was sucked back into Marik's Graveyard.

Shocked, angry, and desperate now, Seto said "I end my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 16100, Marik 1900, Seto 1500)


	40. Chapter 40: Five Way Showdown, Pt 5

**Hurray, I got five reviews on this last chapter! I'm glad to get feedback, due that I get to answer it now, lol.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yami just hasn't had the monsters, nor the right amount of cards in his hand to really summon Slifer. Plus, he may have not drawn it yet, lol. But as always, it'll appear, most likely, lol. Also, Gozaburo could use something to take his anger out on, hehe.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Glad you liked Winged Kuriboh attacking Seto. My fiancé loved that line as well, and couldn't help but giggle at poor Seto getting smacked around by a winged dust bunny. Yami is still in it, but he's just not being focused on due that the others seem to want to get rid of one another. Don't worry though, he'll pull something off in the end.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Thanks for the comment. I tried to keep most of the characters in-character. I somehow did it through out most of the tournament.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Glad it brightened up your day. Hopefully this chapter will too.**

**MarkMachine: Yeah, I had to stretch some of the monster, magic, and trap card effects slightly, like Revival Jam, Ra, and fusion monsters. If I had it done over, I'd probably remove Quick Attack from that tag team duel now that I think about it, but at the time, I didn't realize it, and the show was on that big kick that fusion monsters couldn't attack the same turn they were formed. So, I left it as it was, not realizing it wouldn't matter, lol. And thanks for the last comment. I really enjoyed writing this story. It took me a long time, but I really loved writing on it. I still read over it from time to time to check for mistakes, but for the most part, it's done, lol, I hope.**

**Well, with that all said, I think I'll start the next chapter. Thank you all for your feedback. Everyone feel free to express your opinion, good or bad. I love hearing how people feel about the story. Without any further ado, on with the chapter.**

**Chapter 40**

Drawing, Yami smirked and said "I activate my face down magic card, Multiply. This allows me to split my Kuriboh into 3." The single fur ball glowed and then two images of itself then appeared on the field beside of the original.

"Now I sacrifice all 3 Kuriboh's in order to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon (6000/6000)!" The sky once again became dark, with lightning flashing. All three small fur balls then disappeared, and the lightening flashed hard again. Slowly, a large red dragon's body then began to be seen through the clouds. Finally, the head of the dragon appeared and it looked down at the field, letting out a horrible roar, much like how Ra had done.

Standing there in shock, Illidan quickly thought "_Man oh man, what is this? The Egyptian God Card convention or something? One right after another is too much for me to almost take._"

Yami smirked once more, saying "Slifer the Sky Dragon, wipe out the last of Seto's life points with your Thunder Force!" The powerful red dragon then opened it's huge jaws and fired a powerful stream of energy straight at Seto. Seto couldn't do a thing but watch as the beam struck him hard, knocking him backwards about ten feet. The blast connecting had caused a huge mushroom cloud of smoke to appear. When the smoke cleared, Seto was still down and his Duel Disk was powered down. Slowly on shaking legs, Seto stood up and painstakingly limped off the field with a look on his face that said it all. It was a look of anger, disgrace, and embarrassment.

"That will end my turn, but fear the power of Slifer!" Slifer then roared to cause even more fright on the field. (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 16100, Marik 1900, Seto 0)

Slowly, Illidan drew a card to see it was his United We Stand. Smiling, he said "I'll now play the magic card Graceful Charity. This allows me to draw 3 new cards, but I must discard 2 from my hand when I'm done." Quickly drawing 3 new cards, Illidan studied them. He had drawn Kuriboh, Slate Warrior, and Ring of Destruction.

"I'll discard my Thunder Nyan Nyan and Alpha the Magnet Warrior to the Graveyard. Now I'll set a monster in defense mode."

Chuckling, Yami yelled out "You just triggered Slifer's special effect. Now Slifer's second mouth will do 2000 damage to your monsters defensive points, which means it will be destroyed instantly." The large red dragon then roared as it opened up it's second set of jaws. A powerful sphere of energy began forming in it, till finally the dragon spat it straight at the face down monster. The card image was easily crushed, but a small grim reaper like creature was revealed as the monster that was attacked.

Smiling, Illidan said "Nice try Yami, but Spirit Reaper isn't going anywhere. See, I played him face down on purpose, so he wouldn't be affected by your God Card's special ability."

Slightly growling, Yami then smirked and replied "Very well Illidan, your monster is safe, for now."

"Yes, he is, but now it's time for me to unveil my plan. I now play the magic card United We Stand and equip it to my Dark Magician of Chaos! This card increases the attack points of a selected monster by 800 per a face up monster on the field. So, watch as my Dark Magician of Chaos gains 3200 attack and defense points, making it dead even with Slifer the Sky Dragon (6000/5800)!" The mage then began glowing with a new found power, making him even more formidable. He then raised his staff into an attack position, showing he was ready to strike at any moment.

"Now I activate Breaker's special ability. I remove his spell counter, allowing me to destroy one magic or trap card on the field, and I think I'll destroy Marik's Masked Doll card!" The mages sword then glowed golden as the little ringlet of power was absorbed into the blade. The mage then swung his sword directly at Marik's face up magic card, easily slicing it into two pieces.

"It's time to put you out of this duel Marik. D.D. Warrior Lady, attack Marik's life points with Dimension Blade Slash!" Marik cringed as the female warrior prepared to launch her attack.

Biting his lip, Marik finally said "I activate my Deck Master's special ability. I give up 1500 life points to special summon two monsters back from the Graveyard in defense mode. The two shall be my Drillago (1600/1100) and The Winged Dragon of Ra (0/0)." Slowly, the puppet turned towards Marik and let out a scream, making Marik's Graveyard glow. The weak machine monster then appeared out on the field, then the large golden dragon reappeared in a defensive stance.

Illidan only smiled, knowing Marik would do that, and replied "I thought you'd try that, but it was kind of pointless. D.D. Warrior Lady, take down Ra with Dimension Blade Slash!" The female warrior then charged Ra with complete confidence. She then slashed the huge golden dragon hard with her sword, causing the dragon to howl in pain as it exploded into millions of pieces.

"Breaker, attack Drillago now with Magical Sword Slash!" The maroon robed mage then dashed across the field and slashed the machine monster with his sword, causing the machine to spark and sputter as it exploded finally.

"Now to finish you Marik. Dark Magician of Chaos, wipe out his life points with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The mage then aimed his staff straight at Marik and fired a tremendously large blast of dark energy at him. Marik put his arms up in a defensive position, trying desperately to withstand the blast. The blast pushed Marik back hard, and finally knocked him to his knees in a smoking mess. As his life points ran out, his Duel Disk powered down, signifying he was done. Slowly, Marik then got up and walked off the field.

Seeing there was only one last thing to do, Illidan said "Finally, I set one card face down. That ends my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 16100, Marik 0, Seto 0)

Marie then drew and frowned slightly, then said "I'll continue to pay for my Mirror Wall during my Standby Phase, which means of course I lose 2000 life points. Next I'll end my turn." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 14100, Marik 0, Seto 0)

Slightly glancing at the field, Yami then drew and said "I draw, giving Slifer the Sky Dragon 1000 more attack and defense points (7000/7000)." The large dragon then roared as it's power increased yet again, making it that much more formidable.

"Now I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards, meaning Slifer gains yet another 1000 points (8000/8000)." The dragon roared once again as Yami drew his two cards.

"Next I'll play this magic card, Heavy Storm, which destroys all magic and trap cards on all of our fields!" A huge set of typhoons then formed, striking everyone's magic and trap cards.

Marie cried out as the storms struck her cards "No! My Sanctuary of the Sky!"

Watching, Illidan silently thought "_I'd worry more about your Mirror Wall, Marie!_"

Smiling, Yami said "Now that there are no magic and trap cards out, you're both defenseless. Slifer the Sky Dragon, use your Thunder Force on Marie's Winged Kuriboh!" Roared loudly, the red dragon raised it's powerful head and fired a tremendously large stream of energy straight at the weaker brown fur ball. The blast sent large shockwaves throughout the tower as the small fur ball was gone in a flash. As the blast touched the ground, Marie was thrown backwards about five feet in the air, landing hard on her back. Slowly struggling, she managed back to her feet, but was panting hard, showing signs of just how hard powerful the Egyptian God Card's blast had been.

"Now I'll summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in defense mode." A female knight in pink armor then appeared with her shield and sword raised in a defensive stance.

"That ends my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 7400, Marik 0, Seto 0)

Looking nervously over at Marie, Illidan became lost in thought. "_Yami is now after Marie since she has been the better duelist in this game. Without my United We Stand card, I'm in trouble as well. Nothing in my deck right now can withstand Slifer, other than Spirit Reaper, but that can only defend me, not help attack for me. I have to figure out a new strategy, one that can turn things around and win this duel._"

Drawing, Illidan sighed and said "I'll switch my 3 monsters to defensive mode." Each of Illidan's monsters then took a knee and put their weapon in front of themselves to protect their bodies.

"That will do it for my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 7400, Marik 0, Seto 0)

Marie then drew and frowned again, saying "I'll switch my 2 remaining monster to defense, and end my turn as well." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 7400, Marik 0, Seto 0)

Illidan only looked at Slifer, trying to find some weakness. "_Every monster has a weakness. I just have to figure out Slifer's. I just hope I have enough time to do it, cause if we continue as is, there is no way I'll win._"


	41. Chapter 41: Five Way Showdown, Pt 6

**Hey all. Thanks for the great reviews so far.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yami is finally doing a little bit of dominating of his own, but as you know, things can always change. I'll get around to reading the rest of your story soon, I hope. I have a day off tomorrow, so I'll be free at last to read, I hope.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, Slifer's only weakness is it's greatest strength. The more cards Yami holds, the stronger Slifer is, but the less, the weaker. Only thing is, Illidan has no way to really eliminate Yami's hand, sadly, lol. His deck was built to fight, not take cards away. And I liked the little comment you made on Winged Kuriboh. My fiancé, the real life Marie, likes the card too, and thinks it's cute. I just happened to see it when I was writing, and thought, why not, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Shhhh… Don't tell him the secret, lol.**

**If you'd like to see me answer your feedback, then review, lol. I enjoy answering questions, comments, and just plain talking about the story. At any rate, enjoy for now.**

**Chapter 41**

Yami drew with what looked like beaming confidence, and then said "I'll start by summoning Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600) in attack mode." The yellow magnet creature then appeared on the field. It let out a slight moan as it stood there.

"Beta the Magnet Warrior, attack Marie's Shining Angel with Magnetic Polarity Punch!" The yellow magnet warrior then charged across the field and punched the golden winged angel, causing him to yell out in pain as he was destroyed.

Slightly smiling, Marie said "Why thanks Yami, cause now I get to special summon one light attribute monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points straight to the field in attack mode, and I'll choose Absorbing Kid from the Sky (1300/1000)!" A kid like fairy then appeared. He had smaller wings on his back, and looked a bit big for his white t-shirt and shorts.

Lightly chuckling, Yami then said "That was rather foolish Marie, for now Slifer the Sky Dragon destroys that monster with his second mouth ability! Do it now Slifer!" The large red dragon then roared as it opened up it's second set of jaws, releasing a powerful blast of energy directly at the kid. The blast struck the weaker angel, causing it to scream and explode from the power of Slifer. Marie only slightly growled at this, but seem to let it go quickly.

"That ends my move." (Yugi 7200, Illidan 8000, Marie 6700, Marik 0, Seto 0)

Illidan slowly drew his next card and looked at it to see it was his beloved Chaos Emperor Dragon.

"_I've been saved! I can beat Slifer with this now. Only problem is, I'll be taking Marie down too… Well, I have no choice really if I want to win this duel, so I have to do the best thing that I can for now, and that's win this duel._"

Then suddenly something hit Illidan in his mind. "_I HAVE NO DARK MONSTERS IN MY GRAVEYARD! Man, what a let down…_"

Suddenly another idea struck him though. "_Oh yeah, I can still summon a monster since Chaos Emperor Dragon is a special summon. Silly me!_"

Smiling, Illidan said "I'll start by summoning Sangan (1000/600) in defensive mode." A small orange fur ball with three eyes and green arms and legs then appeared in a defensive stance in front of Illidan.

Lightly laughing, Yami yelled out "Illidan, you just triggered Slifer's special effect. Now Slifer, attack Sangan with your second mouth!" The red dragon roared once more and fired a powerful blast of energy from it's second mouth, easily destroying the weaker orange fur ball creature.

Chuckling, Illidan said "Thanks to your move Yami, Sangan's effect was triggered. Now I get to draw one monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck and bring it my hand. And I'll pick Gamma the Magnet Warrior. Next I shuffle my deck. Now it's time to put Slifer down, once and for all. I now remove from play from my Graveyard my Sangan and Thunder Nyan Nyan in order to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500) to the field!" A large black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field. It spread it's mighty black wings out, mostly to just stretch and to show off how large it was. Compared to Slifer though, he was a rather small dragon.

Laughing, Yami pointed a finger at Illidan and said "Illidan, you know Slifer will just blast away 2000 of its attack points with it's second mouth! Do it now Slifer!" Roaring to life once again, the red dragon let loose another blast from it's second set of jaws, easily striking the black dragon, seemingly crippling it completely, and knocking away 2000 of it's attack points (1000/2500).

Illidan could only chuckle, and say in response "That's alright Yami. I'm not going to attack with him anyways."

Raising an eyebrow, Yami looked confused and asked "Then what are you planning to do with that dragon Illidan?"

Smiling, Illidan replied "Simple Yami, I plan to use my dragon's effect. I now give up 1000 life points in order to trigger this effect. Thanks to this, my Chaos Emperor Dragon will now send everything we have on the field as well as all the cards in our hands to the Graveyard." The large black dragon then roared as it moved towards the center of the field.

Yami was completely speechless as he watched the dragon take to the center of the field.

"Chaos Emperor Dragon, use your Infinite Blaster!" The dragon then began to glow brightly. Bit by bit, it seemed to glow brighter and brighter. Finally, the glowing had become so bright, no one could look on. Then without warning, the dragon exploded, causing every monster on the field to explode as well. Even the mighty Slifer the Sky Dragon howled in pain as it was destroyed by the explosion. The explosion caused quite a huge thick smoke to form on the field. As the smoke began to clear, it was seen that nothing was left. The dragon itself had been destroyed by it's own blast, and nothing was left for any of the duelists.

Yami growled in frustration at his loss, saying "Slifer's gone…"

Smiling, Illidan then said "Now, all the cards are counted up from what we held in our hands and had on the field. I held 5 cards, with 5 monsters on the field, making me a total of 10 cards. Then Marie had 1 monster and 6 cards in her hand, making her 7 cards, totaling so far 17 cards. Next, you had 3 monsters and 6 cards in your hand Yami. That gives you a total of 9 cards, making a total amount of cards 26. Now I take that number and multiply it by 300, and I get the total number of life points to be subtracted from both of you."

Sighing slightly at those words, Illidan then turned to Marie, saying "I'm sorry Marie, but I had to do it in order to beat Slifer."

Marie looked at him sadly, but shook her head signifying a yes that she understood.

After a moment, Illidan then said "My calculations show you each lose 7800 life points, meaning you both lose the duel." Both Marie's and Yami's Duel Disks then powered down as their life points hit zero, and Illidan's Duel Disk next powered down, signifying he'd won.

The judge then stepped in and said "The winner of this duel, Illidan Stormrage!"

Illidan slowly walked over to Marie and hugged her, and then whispered in her ear "I'm sorry."

She drew back to look at his face, and then kissed him on the check. She then whispered in his ear "It's alright. You had no choice."

Smiling, the two then walked over to Yami, who stood still in shock of losing like he did. Illidan offered his hand to Yami, who gladly took it.

Illidan then smiled and said "You did great Yami. You almost had me."

Smiling back, Yami said "I was close, but not close enough yet. Good duel Illidan and Marie."

Meanwhile, in his office, Gozaburo was tearing his office apart.

"HOW DID HE DO IT! I MUST MAKE HIM LOSE!" screamed Gozaburo. He then proceeded to punch his desk in half, showing his intense rage.

After a few more moments of silence, an evil laughter began to fill the office. Gozaburo then yelled "I will make him lose tomorrow against Bakura, but first, he'll have to do a tag team duel tonight! He'll be too exhausted to win, and surely never survive!"


	42. Chapter 42: Talking with a Friend

**Hello everyone. Wow, a new reviewer! Happy days! 'Does happy dance.' Uh, no one saw that, I hope…**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, Gozaburo always has a back up plan. The man lives to tear Illidan apart, and for good reason you could say. You'll see in upcoming chapters just how passionate he is about it. As for CED having tremendous significance to Illidan, it sort of does. It and a few other certain monsters were important to him in the past. They'll be more on that in future chapters, but for now, I'll just answer yes, it was important to him, but not the most important, lol. I'll check out your fic today or tomorrow again. I read the first chapter, but had stuff to do unfortunately yesterday… I hate it when I thought I was going to be doing nothing and instead had stuff to do, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, I like to write duels, but you have to figure, Gozaburo stated it would be ten days of dueling. Hence, there are ten duels at the least, plus other duels like the five-way duel and the tag team duels. So, there are a lot of duels, lol. But there are some filler chapters. There are quite a few filler ones coming up later on, so don't worry, it's not all dueling, but it does take up a lot of the story.**

**Divine Weapon: Thanks for the comment. I thought about bringing back Yami Marik also, but then I realized, it would a touch tough to explain that one, not to mention, I didn't want to drag every bad guy from the past out. But thanks for the comments, and I'll check your fic out also.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yep, Illidan vs. Bakura should be interesting.**

**Thanks to all my loyal reviewers for your comments. If anyone else has a comment, please feel free to review. I love getting reviews, for it gives me a reason to reload a document, lol. But seriously, I do love getting feedback, good or bad. It helps me in my writing.**

**Now, for a special treat, just cause Tuesday is my birthday, lol. This week, I'm going to release a total of five chapters, so today, I'll put two up. Probably Friday, I'll place two also, and Wednesday, I'll just put one. So, I hope you all enjoy reading the chapters. For now though, enjoy the new chapters!**

**Chapter 42**

When the second 5-way duel ended, the new standings were put out. Illidan moved to 1st, while Yugi moved to 2nd. Marie, Marik, and Seto remained 3rd, 4th, and 5th. The big news was really that Illidan moved to the top spot.

Most people congratulated Illidan on his win, but some grew even bitterer. Bandit Keith was one that grew bitterer. He had been robbed, according to him, of his Intercontinental Title in his first duel.

Another was Seto Kaiba. He had lost his World Championship to Illidan on the third day, and was now seeking some way to get it back.

Luckily though, for many, dueling Illidan had sharpened their skills. Noa had found that dueling Illidan had taught him a very good lesson. The same was applied for Marik and Joey. Both enjoyed their duel till the very end, for to them it was an honorable duel fought with pure enjoyment of the game.

There was one fact that remained, which was that there were 5 more duels that remained for all duelists. Illidan still had to face 5 more duelists before the final 10-way duel, and there would be tag team duels as well, plus other duels.

The dilemma that Illidan was facing was he still had a long time to go, and five days could be miserable if Gozaburo wanted them to be.

After getting congratulations and everything settled down, Illidan returned to his room, hoping to rest up. The five way duel had taken a good bit of his strength, and he was starting to fatigue after two duels, one of which was the 5-way duel, which had truly drained him more than the others. Not to mention, he still had one more duel to take on that night, the tag team one.

He was peacefully lying on his bed, nearly asleep when there was a knock on his door. Slowly dragging himself out of bed, he went to see who it was. Once at the door, he opened it to find Yami surprisingly standing there.

Smiling, Illidan said "This is an unexpected surprise. Welcome to my room Yami."

As Illidan began to bow, Yami said in an irritated voice "Don't!"

Smirking, Illidan then stopped and headed for his couch, motioning Yami on in to take a seat. Once seated, Illidan asked "Well, what brings you here Yami? Or do you prefer being called Yugi now?"

Smiling, Yami replied "Yami is fine. I just came by to wish you luck in your duel. I believe you'll need it. Joey and Mai make a fine team, and you and Marie will need to work together to win."

Nodding, Illidan said "Thanks Yami. I believe that the display we put on in the 5-way duel shows though that we're still a tag team. Me and her didn't attack each other on purpose, much like you didn't attack Marik on purpose too."

Lightly chuckling, Yami replied back "So you knew we were teaming up? I figured you and Marie would, so I asked Marik to help me get to where it would be just me and him. I knew you 2 would team up, so I figured the best bet was to ask Marik, seeing how we're tag team partners."

Smiling, Illidan nodded and said "I don't blame you one bit. It made no sense in taking on four people instead of just three for a while. As you saw with Seto, he was easily beaten down fast."

Nodding, Yami then turned serious and said "Illidan, I believe this tournament is getting slightly dangerous. Remember, Marie's predictions have yet to come true."

Serious as well, Illidan replied "Yami, the tournament is not yet over. And she said it will be one of the four of us. Remember, you, me, Marie, and Marik still have a chance to win."

Yami then replied "Yes, but she said whoever would be the one to face Gozaburo would be undefeated. You are the only true undefeated person in the tournament, other than Marie who technically lost due to the 5-way duel. Me and Marik have both lost in duels like tag team and 5-way, but I have yet to lose a singles match, which is why I think you're the only true undefeated duelist."

Thinking for a moment, Illidan said "I think you're wrong Yami. She said we'd be undefeated, but she didn't say in what type of matches."

Sighing, Yami said "I guess that maybe true. One thing is for sure though, we'll find out soon enough. Once you and I duel, as well as you and Marie, we'll know for sure."

Smiling, Illidan replied "Are you sure? It could be that I may lose the final 10-way duel."

Lightly chuckling, Yami said "I'm pretty sure. Once those 2 duels are over with, we'll know for sure. That is of course, if we can remain undefeated till then."

Chuckling as well, Illidan responded "True. I don't know who will win, but I know one of us will defeat Gozaburo. One of us has to."

Nodding, Yami said "Agreed. We can't allow him to have his way with the people of this world."

Nodding also, Illidan replied "Yes, we must stop him at all costs."

Slowly standing up, Yami then said "Indeed. Well, I need to go, plus you need to rest a bit."

Illidan rose up as well, and extended his hand to his friend. Then in a serious tone that matched his hardened eyes for a moment, Illidan said "No matter what happens though, I won't let anything happen like the past. I promise, I won't let him do the same thing he once done again."

Staring at Illidan, Yami nodded his head and replied "Don't worry Illidan. I don't plan on dying a second time at his hands. Good luck tonight."

The two then shook hands and Yami turned and left Illidan's room. Standing there, Illidan realized he only had 20 minutes till his duel. Sighing, he grabbed his Duel Disk and deck, and then proceeded to the elevator.

At the elevator, Marie stood with her arms crossed. She then turned to him, saying "You're late!"

Smiling, Illidan put his arm behind head and replied "Yeah, I am. Sorry. But the judge is late at least."

Sighing, but then smiling, Marie said "What am I ever going to do with you Illidan Stormrage?"

Lightly chuckling, he then kissed her, making Marie's slight irritation with him being late melt away in an instant. When they parted, the two then looked down the hall to see Mai and Joey coming up the hall, hand in hand. When the two finally got there, the elevator descended and opened to reveal the judge.

The judge walked out, asking everyone to get on. At the top, the 2 couples walked out. Illidan was holding Marie's hand, while Joey held Mai's hand. Everyone seemed shocked that Mai and Joey were holding hands. Almost everyone knew Mai and Joey were good friends, but they never believed that they'd take it up a notch.

Tea looked at Yugi, and said "I'm so happy that lunk head finally got the point Mai was trying to make."

Yugi laughed while Tristan and Duke yelled "Way to go buddy!"

Joey blushed a deep shade of crimson at their comment as Mai only laughed at him. The two couples then entered the center of the ring, where the judge explained the rules and told the four what to do. Then each shuffled their decks and moved to their positions on the field. The judge then told them to activate their Duel Disks and draw their first five cards, and to let the duel begin with Illidan going first, Joey next, followed by Marie and Mai.

The four then moved to their spots and fired their holo projectors. Once they were activated, each duelist's Duel Disk unfolded and activated.

Illidan then quickly said "Arise my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The mighty soldier with black armor then appeared out to fight for Illidan.

Joey then called out "Flame Swordsman (1800/1600), it's time to kick some butt!" The orange and blue armored warrior then appeared with his huge orange halberd on his back.

Marie smiled and said "Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000), come show yourself." The beautiful pink skinned angel then appeared with her many golden wings.

Mai let a grin find her face and then said "I call you out to win this duel Amazoness Paladin (1700/300)." A female warrior with a sword in front of herself then appeared on the field.

Each then drew their first five cards, and said "Let's duel!"


	43. Chapter 43: Tag Duel of Lovers, Pt 1

**Chapter 43**

Looking at his hand, Illidan figured it was going to be a good duel. His hand consisted of Luster Dragon, Cyber Jar, Jinzo, Heavy Storm, and Call of the Haunted. He had just drawn his Harpie's Feather Duster to complete his starting hand.

Smiling, he said "I'll start things off by summoning my Luster Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode." A beautiful sapphire dragon with ruby eyes then appeared on the field and let out a small roar.

"Next I'll set one card face down. That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Joey 4000, Marie 4000, Mai 4000)

Drawing, Joey got a Cheshire Cat grin and said "I'll summon my Panther Warrior (2000/1500) in attack mode." A panther that looked like a warrior then appeared wearing greenish like armor. He wielded a huge sword and a shield as well.

"Next I'll set one card face down as well and I end my move." (Illidan 4000, Joey 4000, Marie 4000, Mai 4000)

Smiling, Marie said "Time for me to turn up the heat. I'll summon my Shining Friendship (1300/1100) in attack mode." A small green ball like creature with golden wings and blue eyes then appeared. It had small green arms as well as green legs. Illidan and the others kind of felt like doing a classic anime sweat drop at Marie's statement since this creature obviously didn't have many attack points.

"Now I'll set 3 cards face down. Finally, I'll play my field card Sanctuary of the Sky." The field then turned into a blue sky with a large sanctuary behind Marie. As the field became fully cast on the field, Marie's small green fairy then glowed for a moment, as if something had happened to it.

"That ends my turn." (Illidan 4000, Joey 4000, Marie 4000, Mai 4000)

Mai drew and said "And that begins mine. I'll summon Amazoness Fighter (1500/1300) in attack mode." A female warrior that looked much like an Amazon from ancient times then appeared. She had large muscular arms, and wore a teal looking bra and lion cloth/skirt.

"Now, thanks to my Deck Master, Amazoness Fighter gains 300 attack and defense points automatically (1800/1600)." The Amazon with the sword then glowed slightly, causing the fighter to glow as well, making the fighter stronger.

"I'll also set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 4000, Joey 4000, Marie 4000, Mai 4000)

Glancing over the field, Illidan slowly began to think of a strategy. "_Hmm, I'd better get rid of Mai's monster first. Joey's monster is stronger than mine, but I'll be able to take care of him soon enough._"

After drawing his next card, Illidan took a look to see his Mystical Space Typhoon. After a moment, he then said "I play the magic card Harpie's Feather Duster! Now both Joey and Mai's magic and trap cards are destroyed!"

Joey quickly reacted as a set of typhoons threatened to destroy his face down card, saying "I chain your move Illidan. I activate my magic card Scapegoat, allowing me to summon four Scapegoat Tokens (0/0) in defense!" Four multi colored goats then appeared on Joey's side of the field. Mai's face down card wasn't as lucky though, as the typhoon ripped right through her face down Mirror Wall.

Lightly smiling, Illidan then said "Luster Dragon, attack Mai's Amazoness Fighter with Ruby Blast!" Roaring, the dragon took to the sky and then fired a huge dark ruby colored blast right at the female warrior. The warrior tried to hold the blast back, but was easily destroyed due to the overwhelming force. Illidan waited for Mai's life points to go down then, but for some odd reason, nothing happened.

Curious, he asked "Hey, what's the deal? Why didn't your life points decrease?"

Lightly chuckling, Mai said "That's a simple one hun. My Amazoness Fighter's special ability keeps me from losing life points. When it's attacked, the damage I would receive is reduced to 0, meaning I lose no life points."

Slightly growling that he didn't know this, Illidan then said "I now invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Since Luster Dragon destroyed a monster, he can attack a second time. Luster Dragon, direct attack Mai's life poi…"

Mai quickly interrupted, saying "I don't think so Illidan! I activate my Amazoness Paladin's Deck Master ability. I must give up 500 life points to use it, but it's more than worth it. I now return my Amazoness Fighter (1800/1600) into attack mode." The female fighter then returned once again to the field, showing she was ready for another round.

Sighing, Illidan quickly realized something. "_She can keep up a hard to stop defense with her Deck Master. Interesting._"

Regaining focus, Illidan then said "Luster Dragon, attack her Amazoness Fighter with Ruby Blast!" Once again flying into the air, the sapphire dragon fired its large blast at the weaker warrior, instantly crushing her again.

"That ends my turn." (Illidan 4000, Joey 4000, Marie 4000, Mai 3500)

Joey slightly chuckled and said "I'll now set one card face down. Next I sacrifice one Scapegoat Token to Panther Warrior, allowing him to attack. Panther Warrior, attack Illidan's Luster Dragon with Panther Slash!" The little blue goat like creature then disappeared in a flash as the panther glowed. He then let out a roar and charged the sapphire dragon.

The panther was almost there when Marie interrupted, saying "I activate the trap card Reinforcements! This card will give Illidan's Luster Dragon 500 more attack points for this turn (2400/1600)."

Nodding at Marie with a smile, Illidan said "Thanks Marie. Now Luster Dragon, counter attack with Ruby Blast!" Narrowly dodging the charging panther, the sapphire dragon then took to the air once again and let loose a powerful blast of ruby energy, which struck the panther hard, causing it to explode into millions of pieces.

Growling at his loss, Joey said "I summon Alligator's Sword (1500/1200) in defense mode." An alligator like warrior then appeared. He held a large sword in one hand, but used it to help protect himself from attacks.

"That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Joey 3600, Marie 4000, Mai 3500)

Marie drew and said "I'll sacrifice my Shining Friendship for Airknight Parshath (1900/1400)!" The small green fairy then disappeared in a flash and was replaced by a blue and gold armored fairy/horse combo of a monster.

"Airknight, attack one of Joey's Scapegoat Tokens with Fairy Slash!" The fairy ran quickly across the field and sliced a goat in half. Then Joey lost life points equal to Marie's monster's attack points.

Shocked, Joey asked "Hey, what's the big idea? Scapegoat was in defense!"

Smiling, Marie replied "True, but Airknight's special ability allows me to deal the difference of my monster's attack points and your monster's defense points to you as damage. That means even if your monster is in defense mode, I can still do damage to you. Also, I get to draw one card thanks to Airknight's effect. Next, I'll set one card and end my turn." (Illidan 4000, Joey 1700, Marie 4000, Mai 3500)

Drawing with a look of concern on her face, Mai said "Hmm, I'll summon Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300) in attack mode." A bird like woman then appeared on the field. She had long pinkish hair and green wings that were connected to her arms. She also had claws for hands, and talons for feet.

"Next I'll equip her with Cyber Shield, which gives my Cyber Harpie a 500 additional attack points (2300/1300)." A small golden corset then appeared on the female bird creature, making it squawk louder as her power increased.

"Now Cyber Harpie, destroy Illidan's Luster Dragon with Cyber Slash!" The woman bird took off and headed straight for the sapphire dragon with her claws raised to strike.

Just as the creature was about to strike the dragon, Marie said "I activate my trap Mirror Wall! Now your monster's attack points are cut in half (1150/1300)!" Suddenly a multicolored wall appeared in front of the bird creature. When the bird ran into it, she seemed to grow much weaker, making her no match for the sapphire dragon.

"No!" yelled out Mai in shock.

Smiling, Illidan said "Thanks again Marie. Luster Dragon, counter attack with Ruby Blast!" The dragon then dodged the flying bird woman and released it's powerful ruby energy at her, easily making the creature into fried bird, which then exploded.

Growling somewhat, Mai said "Darn it, I have to end my move." (Illidan 4000, Joey 1700, Marie 4000, Mai 2750)

Smiling at Marie, Illidan quickly thought "_Marie has saved my bacon for a second time in this duel. She's doing great tonight!_"


	44. Chapter 44: Tag Duel of Lovers, Pt 2

**Hey all. Wow, I got five reviews. Happy day, lol.**

**Divine Weapon: True, the duel appears to be going easy, but the tide of the duel could always change. All of Mai's Amazoness monsters get a bonus of 300 points instantly, so that helps her out. As for Joey, yeah, he could summon something easily by sacrificing a monster. Hehe, as for your question, we'll see. After all, Bakura is to duel Illidan, so perhaps a certain spirit will pay him a visit.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yep, Illidan and Marie's decks work really well together. I had to think about that sort of when I went to design their decks. Couldn't have them being a total mismatch, lol. True, Mai usually uses Harpies, but she also used Amazoness monsters in Battle City. I kind of took that deck and just expanded on it some. About the Seal, this is actually before it, lol. The whole tournament is like a couple of months after Battle City, so they have yet to encounter the Seal of Orichalcos yet. Thanks for the suggestion though. I hadn't thought of that one, and it would have been a good idea, but as I say, kind of hard to revive something that isn't gone yet, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: LOL! Thanks for the comment about wanting someone like Illidan. I told real life Marie about your comment, and she giggled at it too. I'm sure you'll find someone that is a good match. And yes, he loves Marie, very much. But yes, Illidan is going to fight Bakura, but that's the next day, which would be day six of dueling, I believe… Yeah, it is, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, it would seem like the perfect Valentines Day duel, or a duel for Jerry Springer. And yep, Marie is doing an excellent job. Illidan's strategy is simple, hence why I made his Deck Master the BLS-EOTB. Pretty much, keep fighting till you can't fight no more, lol.**

**Well, that's all I have, and thank you guys for wishing me a happy birthday. I spent most of it working on my sequel to this story. I'm nearly finished with it, so once Tournament of Power is over, it shall begin. Well, I'm gone for now. Later all, and enjoy.**

**Chapter 44**

Drawing, Illidan smiled at the monster he held and said "I summon Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode." A blue headed fiend monster with golden armor then appeared. On his back was his powerful halberd where his one hand rested on it's hilt.

"Luster Dragon, attack Mai's life points directly with Ruby Blast…"

Mai interrupted though, saying "Did you forget my Deck Master's ability? I give up 500 life points to revive my Amazoness Fighter (1800/1600) in attack mode." The female fighter then reappeared, taking her usual fighting stance once again.

"_Great. Just what I needed._" thought Illidan.

Sighing, he then said "That's alright, cause now I'll have Luster Dragon attack her with Ruby Blast!" The sapphire dragon opened its mouth and fired a huge blast of ruby energy at the fighter. As before, the fighter struggled to survive, but was destroyed in the end.

"Now it's time I invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Luster Dragon, attack one of Joey's Scapegoat Tokens with Ruby Blast!" Roaring, the dragon turned towards a small orange goat and released a blast straight at one, easily blowing it into millions of pieces.

"Slate Warrior, attack Joey's last Scapegoat Token with Fiend Slash!" Pulling his halberd from his back, the fiend dashed across the field and slashed the pink goat in half easily with the huge sword.

"That shall do it for me this turn." (Illidan 4000, Joey 1700, Marie 4000, Mai 2250)

Drawing, Joey's usual Cheshire Cat grin returned. He quickly said "I begin this turn by playing the magic card Star Blaster! Now, I just have to roll a die, and whatever number I get is the level of a monster I can summon. So, here goes. Go Star Blaster!" A little creature holding the die then appeared and dropped the die. It rolled and rolled. It was about to stop on a 1 when it, luckily for Joey, rolled on over to a 6.

Jumping up and then giving a pose of success, Joey yelled "Oh yeah! Now I can summon a level 6 monster from my hand, and I know which one. I special summon Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode!" The cyborg in green and black then appeared on the field. He then quickly folded his arms in front of himself like he always did.

"Now the fun part starts, well the fun part for me at least! He negates all traps on the field, which means Marie's Mirror Wall is useless. Also, whatever face down cards you have Illidan are now useless, unless of course they're magic cards. Jinzo, attack Marie's Airknight Parshath with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg then made a ball of energy in his hands and threw it straight at the fairy.

Just as the blast was about to hit, Marie lightly laughed and said "You can't believe I really rely on only trap cards, now can you Joey?"

Slightly sweating, Joey replied "Uh, I guess not."

Smiling, she then said "Now you will learn that I'm always ready for anything! I reveal my face down magic card, Rush Recklessly! This gives my Airknight 700 bonus attack points (2600/1400) for the turn, making him stronger than your Jinzo! Airknight, counter attack with Fairy Slash!" The fairy then glowed with power and dodged the energy blast. Once it had dodged, it made a mad gallop for the cyborg and quickly slashed him, causing the machine monster to howl in pain as he exploded into millions of pieces.

Still smiling, Marie then added "And now, the attack points of Jinzo get transferred to my life points thanks to my Deck Master's special ability. Also, thanks to Airknight's special ability, I get to draw one more card from my deck."

Growling at this loss, Joey said in a slightly sad voice "I end my turn." (Illidan 4000, Joey 1500, Marie 6400, Mai 2250)

Drawing, Marie studied her card and then said "During my Standby Phase, I pay 2000 life points to keep Mirror Wall in play. Next, I summon my Absorbing Kid from the Sky (1300/1000) to the field in attack mode." A rather fat and odd looking fairy then appeared on the field. He had a small white shirt and a pair of black shorts that revealed his large belly.

"Absorbing Kid from the Sky, attack Joey's Alligator's Sword with Fairy Punch!" The large fairy quickly took off and slammed his fist hard into the alligator warrior, easily destroying it.

Marie then grinned and said "Thanks to my Deck Master's special ability, I now gain life points equal to the attack points of your monster, which was 1500. Next, my monster's special ability kicks in. Now I gain life points equal to 300 times the level of your monster, which was level four, so I gain 1200 life points. And now, it's time I finish you off. Airknight, direct attack Joey now with Fairy Slash!" Quickly galloping across the field, the fairy then slashed Joey with his powerful lance, making Joey fall to his knees from the hit. Slowly, Joey's remaining life points drained away till he hit zero. His Duel Disk then powered down, showing he was done for that duel.

Looking at Mai with sad eyes, he said "I'm sorry for not being able to help you Mai. I just hope you can hang in there without me. Give them one for me, ok?"

Mai smiled and nodded. Joey then stood up and walked off of the field and over to the stands, where he jumped in and sat down next to Yugi and the others.

Nodding, Marie then said "Thanks to my last attack, I now get to draw one card thanks to Airknight's effect. Now I end my move." (Illidan 4000, Joey 0, Marie 7100, Mai 2250)

Closing her eyes for a moment, as if she was concentrating, Mai then opened her violet eyes and said "I first play the magic card Monster Reborn, bringing back my Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300) in attack mode." The female bird creature then reappeared on the field, letting out a small squawk as she landed.

"Next I play this magic card, Reasoning. Now, this magic card allows me to draw cards till I pick up a monster. All magic and trap cards are discarded. Also, I must have one of you guess a monster level. If the monster I draw is equal to the monster level you said, that monster is discarded, but if it's not the same level, I get to special summon that monster to the field. So, Illidan, guess a level of a monster."

Thinking for only and instant, Illidan replied "I guess level 4."

Smiling, Mai then drew, which caused her grin to widen. She quickly said "Good guess, but wrong. I just drew my Harpie's Pet Dragon (2000/2500), which is a level 7 monster. Now I special summon him in attack mode!" A reddish dragon with a golden chain around his neck then appeared. He had wings for arms, and two large feet as well as a long tail. The female bird creature then grabbed the chain, as if the dragon belonged to her alone.

"By the way, Harpie's Pet Dragon gains 500 attack points for every Harpie Lady on the field (2500/2500)." The dragon then let out a soft roar as it's strength increased.

Confused, Illidan asked "Wait, you only have a Cyber Harpie Lady, not a Harpie Lady. How come your dragon's strength increased?"

Mai quickly replied "Because Cyber Harpie Lady's special effect allows it to be treated as a Harpie Lady. Now, where was I? Ah yes, I'll next give up 500 life points to bring back Amazoness Fighter (1800/1600) in attack mode." The female fighter once again reappeared on the field, showing she was ready for yet another round.

"Next I'll play the magic card Elegant Egotist, which allows me to bring out the 3 Harpie Lady Sisters (1800/1300) in attack mode." The single Cyber Harpie Lady then glowed as she seemingly split into three. Then the original pink haired bird monster was there, but also so was a blue short haired one, as well as an orange shoulder length haired bird creature.

"Now that I have 3 Harpies on the field, the Pet Dragon gains a total of 1500 attack points (3500/2500)." The red dragon roared as it's attack points soared upwards.

"Finally, I'll set one card face down. Harpie's Pet Dragon, blast Illidan's Luster Dragon with Pet Flames!" Roaring, the dragon then launched a stream of fire straight at the weaker sapphire dragon. The dragon was struck hard by the blast, causing it to screech as it burst into flames and finally exploded.

Mai glanced over at Marie's field, but sighed and said "I end my move." (Illidan 2400, Joey 0, Marie 7100, Mai 1750)

Drawing his card, Illidan smiled at his Reflect Bounder, and then said "I activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted. This allows me to special summon one monster from my Graveyard, and since I only have one in there, I bring back my Luster Dragon (1900/1600)!" The mighty sapphire dragon rose up once again to the field, letting out a roar that said it was serious this time.

"Next, I'll sacrifice Slate Warrior to summon Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode." The same metallic cyborg that Joey had tried to use in the duel earlier now appeared on Illidan's side of the field. Marie let a small smile appear on her face once she saw the monster appear.

"It's time I weaken that dragon, and to do that, I'll need to take out some Harpies. Luster Dragon, attack one of the Cyber Harpie Lady's with Ruby Blast!" Roaring, the sapphire dragon spat a blast of ruby energy straight at the blue haired bird woman, which easily blew her away. With that shot, the red dragon let out a small cry as his strength was cut down somewhat (3000/2500).

Smiling at his handy work, Illidan then said "I invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Luster Dragon, attack another of Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady's with Ruby Blast!" The dragon let out another roar and released yet another onslaught of ruby energy straight at the orange hair colored bird woman this time, which easily crushed it. Again, the red dragon let out another small cry as he lost yet another one of his masters, thus weakening him further (2500/2500).

"Time to get rid of the last one, and I know the perfect monster for the job. Jinzo, use your Cyber Energy Shock to destroy the last Cyber Harpie!" The cyborg stretched out his right hand and a sphere of black energy formed. The sphere then shot from his hand, smashing right into the weaker pink haired bird woman, causing it to explode. Like the last attack, the dragon moaned again as it lost more strength due to it's masters all being gone now (2000/2500). Mai growled with anger at what had happened, but there was little she could do at the moment.

"I now place one card face down. That ends my turn." (Illidan 2400, Joey 0, Marie 7100, Mai 950)

Looking over at Marie, Illidan thought "_I hope I set Marie up enough. I know I messed up her strategy for using Mirror Wall, but I had to use Jinzo to just weaken the Pet Dragon. Now that it's weaker, she shouldn't have much trouble defeating it._"


	45. Chapter 45: Tag Duel of Lovers, Pt 3

**Hey people, good to see the reviews once again. By the way, my birthday was Tuesday, and I had a good one. I'm another year older, but oh well, it's fine with me, lol. Can't stay young forever, other than in your heart, hehe. Now, to the reviews!**

**Brianna Ishtar: Thanks for the comment. I'll try to keep it wicked awesome.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Thank you, and I did have a good birthday. Didn't get what I wanted, but I'll get it Saturday (to see real life Marie, lol). But yes, that is Mai's largest flaw with her Deck Master, but then again, the same is for everyone else's Deck Master that requires life points to bring back a monster.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, it would be kind of hard to write it in if it hadn't happened yet, lol. Dartz was a pretty good villain, although I liked the spirit of the Millennium Ring better. He was probably my favorite villain of all in the show, mostly due that he was constantly scheming something in the background, although he never was around in season four (Orichalcos season). And yes, Harpie Lady Sisters is a single card, but I decided to follow the show on it just to keep semi-constant with it. I was going to go with the rl card, but figured, eh, it's following the show to a degree, so I kept with the show. And don't worry about the reviews on your story, they'll come. Lol, it took forever it seemed like for me to get a review, but they'll start pouring in. I'll probably get a chance tonight to finish reading your chapters, and I'll review. Every time I get a chance to read your story, something has come up and I can't finish the chapter I started on, and I lose my place. It's rather irritating, but tonight, I shall finish! I hope, lol.**

**Well, as promised, I'm posting two chapters today. Good grief, I hate getting up at 5 A.M. to get ready for work at 6. I guess it's better than having work at 4 A.M. and getting up at 3, lol. At any rate, I'm out, so enjoy the chapters. And remember, I love feedback, so give me the good and the bad reviews, hehe.**

**Chapter 45**

Marie then drew, saying "Since Jinzo is out, I won't pay for my Mirror Wall, so it's gone now. Next I sacrifice my Absorbing Kid from the Sky for The Agent of Judgment – Saturn (2400/0) in attack mode." The large bellied fairy then disappeared in a flash of light and was replaced by a beautiful blue skinned and winged angel. From it came a blinding light that made Marie smile, as her new monster showed off its angelic powers.

"Saturn, attack your Mai's Harpie's Pet Dragon with Judgment Blast!" The fairy held her hands up in front of herself and let loose a powerful blast of blue energy, which easily blew away the red dragon.

"Airknight Parshath, attack Mai's Amazoness Fighter with Fairy Slash!" The fairy quickly galloped across the field and sliced the female fighter into 3 pieces. Mai sank down to her knees when she saw her last monster destroyed.

Sitting there, Mai felt as if she had lost till she heard "Keep fighting Mai!" Looking up and into the stands, Mai saw that Joey had yelled it. The one she loved was telling her to not give up, even though she knew she should.

Marie smiled slightly at this, and said "Finally, I'll place one card face down. I'll end my move Mai." (Illidan 2400, Joey 0, Marie 10600, Mai 550)

"Mai, you've got to get up! Don't give up now! You've come too far to just surrender. Go down swinging! You can still turn things around. I believe in you! And I know you can do it!" Joey called out.

Illidan slightly smiled at Joey for playing cheerleader.

"Mai, trust your deck! You can win if you believe in the Heart of the Cards!" yelled out Yugi.

Looking at Mai, Illidan only had a few thoughts about it all. "_She has to want to win, for it's pointless if she don't at least want to try for it. Come on Mai, get up and duel. I know you still have something left to show us._"

After hesitating for a moment, Mai finally stood back up with determination and fire in her eyes still. She then said "I'm not finished yet Illidan and Marie."

"That's the spirit Mai! Now go give them one for me!" yelled out Joey.

Mai only smiled at Joey for the encouraging words and said "It's my move."

She paused for a second as her hand was about to draw a card. She stood still for what seemed like an eternity.

Mai finally drew and smiled, saying "I play the monster known as Amazoness Tiger (1100/1500) in attack mode." An orange and black tiger with a golden collar around it's neck then appeared on the field, letting out a roar to show the field it was serious.

"Now, thanks to my Amazoness Paladin, Amazoness Tiger gains 300 attack and defense points (1400/1800)." The tiger then roared as it's strength soared into a new range.

"Next, Amazoness Tiger's effect activates. When there is a monster on the field with the name Amazoness in it, my tiger gains 400 more attack points. Since I have one currently, it gains 400 more attack points (1800/1800)." Once again, the tiger roared as it's strength increased.

"I next give up 500 life points to special summon Amazoness Fighter (1800/1600) back in attack mode." The fighter once more made her way to the field, showing she was ready for one more round.

"Now Amazoness Tiger gains another 400 points (2200/1800)." The tiger roared once again as it's strength once more soared into new heights.

"Finally, I'll move my Deck Master, Amazoness Paladin (1700/300) to the field." The female warrior then pulled her sword from the ground where it had been resting all duel long. She then leapt to the front line, taking a side with her fellow Amazon friends.

"Doing this gives Amazoness Tiger another 400 attack points (2600/1800)." The tiger roared once more, showing that it was the supreme monster on the field now.

"Also, Amazoness Paladin's effect activates. When on the field, she gains 100 points per an Amazoness monster, so she gains 300 more attack points (2000/300)." The female warrior's sword then glowed as power filled within her.

"Amazoness Tiger, attack Marie's Saturn with Amazoness Swipe!" The large tiger leapt into the air and slashed the blue fairy across the chest, causing the angel to howl in pain as she was destroyed. Marie was somewhat stunned. One of her strongest monsters was now gone.

Mai lightly smirked and said "I'm not done yet. Amazoness Paladin, destroy Marie's Airknight Parshath with Amazoness Slash!" Pulling on the hilt of her sword, the female warrior quickly ran across the field and slashed the fairy/horse combo across the chest, causing it to cry out in pain before it was destroyed.

"Finally, Amazoness Fighter, direct attack Marie with Amazoness Punch!" Running quickly, the fighter ran up to Marie and smashed her fist into Marie's stomach hard, which knocked the wind out of Marie.

"Now I end my move." (Illidan 2400, Joey 0, Marie 8800, Mai 50)

Slightly smirking, Illidan saw that Mai was on a small roll. "_Mai maybe about out of life points, but she has plenty of fight left in her. She's letting everything hang out now, for there is no need to hold back. Of course though, once I smash her Deck Master, she'll lose the duel. It's so sad that I have to do this but I guess I have no choice._"

Illidan then drew his next card, saying "I'll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700) in defense mode." A grey warrior that had magnets on his body then appeared. He raised his shield and sword up in front of himself as he took a one knee position for defense.

"Luster Dragon, attack Mai's Amazoness Fighter with Ruby Blast!" The sapphire dragon took flight, gaining altitude, and then took aim for the weaker Amazon. Once he had her in his sights, he let go a powerful blast of ruby energy which came flying down straight at the warrior. Just as the blast was almost to the fighter, the powerful tiger jumped in the way and knocked the attack away.

Confused, Illidan asked "Hey, what's going on here?"

Mai began to lightly giggle and said "My Amazoness Tiger's other effect is that when I have other monsters on my side of the field with the name Amazoness in it, Amazoness Tiger can only be attacked. That means your attack on my Amazoness Fighter was blocked."

"_Great. Now I have to clear out that tiger to wipe her out. But how do I do that when I have nothing strong enough right now?_"

Looking at his hand, Illidan realized he had nothing really tough enough to take Mai's tiger down, and after surveying his field, Illidan realized that his Jinzo was about to be destroyed in a turn.

"I switch my Luster Dragon to defense mode and end my turn." (Illidan 2400, Joey 0, Marie 8800, Mai 50)

Marie drew and said "I summon Shining Abyss (1600/1800) in defensive mode." An odd blue creature with a golden flame for a head then appeared. It spread it's large golden wings out and placed it's two arms in front of itself to protect itself from harm.

"I now end my move." (Illidan 2400, Joey 0, Marie 8800, Mai 50)

Looking at Marie, Illidan quickly realized she didn't have a plan either. The only thing they could do was just survive for now.

Mai drew and slightly smiled, saying "I summon Amazoness Swords Woman (1500/1600) in attack mode." A wild looking female warrior then appeared on the field. She held a much larger sword than the other sword wielding Amazon, and this Amazon had wild looking red hair. She looked rather tough if anything else.

"Now, thanks to my Deck Master, Amazoness Swords Woman gains 300 attack and defense points (1800/1900). Then, my Amazoness Tiger gains an additional 400 attack points (3000/1800). Finally, my Amazoness Paladin gains 100 more attack points (2100/300)." All three monsters then glowed as each gained more strength, making Illidan suddenly realize that Mai was setting up to destroy him most likely.

"The time has come for you to lose Illidan Stormrage. I will end you right here and now. Amazoness Tiger, attack his Jinzo with Amazoness Swipe!" The tiger quickly pounced on the cyborg, making him fall over as the tiger put it's full weight on him, making moan in pain as he exploded.

"Amazoness Fighter, destroy Illidan's pathetic Alpha the Magnet Warrior now with Amazoness Punch!" The fighter quickly crossed the field and prepared to deliver a crippling blow to the weaker warrior.

Just before she arrived, Marie smiled and said "I activate the magic card Reliable Guardian, giving Illidan's Magnet Warrior a 700 defensive point boost (1400/2400) for this turn!" Suddenly the grey magnet warrior glowed with new power as he held up his shield as the Amazon banged her fist against it. The shield held and forced her to fly back to her side of the field.

Looking over at Marie with a big smile, Illidan nodded, thinking "_Thanks to Marie, I will survive this round._"

Growling, Mai said "You think this duel is over, then you're sadly mistaken Illidan. You may have stopped me from destroying Alpha, but your dragon is going down! Amazoness Swords Woman, attack his Luster Dragon with Amazoness Strike!" The wild looking Amazon then quickly slashed the sapphire dragon hard with her sword, causing the dragon to roar in pain till it exploded.

"I now end my turn." (Illidan 1800, Joey 0, Marie 8800, Mai 50)

Illidan stared at his deck for a moment before drawing. Finally gathering up his courage, he drew to find his salvation.

"I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards."

Illidan quickly drew two more cards and smiled at them. "Alright Mai, I play the magic card United We Stand, and equip it to Alpha the Magnet Warrior." The grey monster then glowed as it gained some new power.

"This magic card gives Alpha the Magnet Warrior 800 additional attack and defense points per a face up monster on my side of the field (2200/2500). Next, I switch Alpha to attack mode. Now, I have one last magic card to play."

Smirking, Mai said "Big deal! My Amazoness Tiger has 3000 attack points, more than enough to take on your Magnet Warrior."

Chuckling, Illidan shook his head and said "You're mistaken. My monster has more than that. Watch as I play Scapegoat!" Suddenly, 4 little goat tokens appeared on Illidan's side of the field.

"Since I now have 4 more monsters, Alpha the Magnet Warrior gains 3200 more attack points (5400/5700)!"


	46. Chapter 46: Evil Unsealed

**Chapter 46**

Mai sank to her knees, saying in a saddened voice "I can't believe it… My Amazoness Tiger is finished." She then placed her hand over her deck, signaling she was surrendering.

"I would rather not see my Amazoness Tiger destroyed. You two win this battle."

Nodding, Illidan said "It was an honor to duel you Mai, and you played a good game."

The judge then cleared his throat and said "The winners of this Tag Team duel, Illidan and Marie!"

Illidan and Marie then walked over to Mai and offered a hand each to her. Mai looked up and took them gladly. The two quickly helped her stand, and Illidan shook her hand, and Marie then gave her a hug, whispering good job in her ear.

The crowd then came out of the stands and onto the field and proceeded to celebrate the night away. Everyone but Bakura was there, who had disappeared during the middle of the tag duel.

Elsewhere in the tower, the usual celebration was on in Gozaburo's office.

"WHY WON'T HE LOSE! I MUST HAVE HIM DESTROYED!" screamed Gozaburo as he smashed his fist into the wall of his office.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door, causing him to scream "COME IN!"

The door opened slowly to reveal Bakura. Seeing the destruction, Bakura said "I see you're redecorating. I guess I should come back later, when you're done."

Calming down, Gozaburo then waved for him to come on in. "Sit down Bakura." he commanded.

Bakura walked in and had a seat in what was a nice chair at one time.

Smiling at Bakura, Gozaburo calmly asked "Bakura, does the spirit of the Millennium Ring still want to destroy Illidan and Yami?"

Shocked at this question and yet slightly afraid, Bakura replied "The spirit of my Millennium Ring has been sealed away for some time now, so don't bother asking silly questions. Besides, I'd never endanger my friends by releasing him onto them."

Gozaburo then reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out the Millennium Crown. With an evil smile, he slipped the crown on his head, asking "Have you ever seen this before Bakura?"

Bakura was slightly shaking with fear, knowing that the crown looked like a Millennium Item. He quickly stood to run, but suddenly deep inside of himself, the spirit of the Millennium Ring called out for him to release him.

"No!" screamed Bakura as he held his head in his hands. The spirit was trying quite hard to free himself, and it was taking it's toll on Bakura.

Chuckling evilly, Gozaburo said "Don't worry Bakura, I'll fix your problem right now."

The Millennium Crown then began glowing with a golden aura and Bakura felt the seal that Yami had placed fall to pieces. Now the spirit of the Millennium Ring was free, and nothing or nobody could help Bakura. He screamed in agony as the spirit then took possession of his body. Finally, he settled down, but there was an evil smile on Bakura's face now. No longer was this boy the sweet innocent Bakura, but he was now possessed by the spirit of the Millennium Ring. His body showed the changes. His face was now much more evil looking. His eyes were cold, and he wore an evil grin.

Taking a deep breath, the spirit then opened his eyes and turned towards Gozaburo, saying "Ah, much better. That fool Yami and Bakura tricked me sometime ago and sealed me into my own Millennium Ring. I had been trapped by the seal for only a few months, but it was more than enough time for me to grow impatient and angry with each. I thank you for your help, but now, if you don't mind, hand over your Millennium Item. I know that it is the Millennium Crown, and I want it."

Laughing, Gozaburo slapped his desk, saying "You haven't changed one bit. It was only 5000 years ago you wanted this same crown, but you failed as well to claim it. And you failed to acquire the other Millennium Items. And now you think I'll hand over my Millennium Crown with no struggle?"

Smirking, the spirit put his hand on his Millennium Ring, and replied "If you don't hand it over, I'll take it from you in a Shadow Game! How does that grab you?"

Still smiling evilly, Gozaburo said "It won't be happening. You don't deserve this crown. You don't even deserve a shot at this crown, but I'll make you a deal. Destroy Illidan …"

Curious at the mere mention of the name, the spirit said "What? Illidan is alive?"

Nodding, Gozaburo continued, saying "Yes, he is. He has been reincarnated and brought back as he was. He now possesses the Millennium Key once again from what I can tell."

Curious still, the spirit asked "And the others?"

"As you know, Yami is back. Marie has returned as well. You should still know all about Shadi still living. He never will kick the bucket. You know about Kaiba, but he doesn't possess any Millennium Items. I know you took Pegasus's Millennium Eye already. That means there are only four people that were from the past that are in the tournament."

Looking at Gozaburo, the spirit asked "And you?"

Lightly chuckling, Gozaburo replied "I'm not the Gozaburo of the past, if that's what you speak of. I have access to his memories somehow, but I am not that Gozaburo."

Smiling evilly, Bakura said "I see. Why should I help you when I can take what I want from you?"

Standing up, Gozaburo then stared at the spirit and said "Try it, if you dare. My powers far surpass yours. You could try and then be sent to the Shadow Realm easily. Remember, the Millennium Crown was much stronger than any one Millennium Item alone. It even surpasses the combined power of all seven, so try it if you dare to be so foolish."

Slightly growling, the spirit realized he couldn't defeat Gozaburo without the other Millennium Items. Even then, that would be a tough conquest for him to complete. Realizing he should back down for now, he slowly took a seat on a heap of what was once furniture.

Lightly laughing, Gozaburo said "Good boy. I knew you were always a sensible one, from what the crown tells me about the past. Now, I want you to destroy Illidan in a duel. Make it a Shadow Game for all I care, but do whatever you want, but make sure you destroy him. I want him destroyed, no matter what!"

Smiling evilly, the spirit said "You seem bent on killing him. What is it that matters so much that you want him destroyed?"

Gozaburo stared at the spirit and said "You remember how persistent Illidan was in ancient times. He is proving to be a pest the same way in this time. Every duelist that has faced him so far has lost. Even two Egyptian God Card holders failed to destroy him. That is why I want you to destroy him. I know you love to torture people by playing a Shadow Game, and you'll make sure that he suffers. Win and I'll give you the Millennium Key. Also, you will have a chance to get all seven Millennium Items. Six are here at the tower. The other, Shadi's Millennium Scales, are still with him, but easy to take."

Thinking about the terms, the spirit slightly smirked and said "I see. So, you want me to eliminate Illidan. What if the others interfere?"

Not even showing any signs of compassion, Gozaburo shrugged and said "Do as you want with anyone but Marie. Do not harm her. I want her left alone. If you do harm her, you will have me to deal with."

Staring at the spirit, Gozaburo gave a dead serious look about what he said. The spirit then burst out loud laughing, saying "Your past memories of your infatuation with her still exist I see. Fine, I'll leave her be, but she better not get in my way. I will send Illidan to the Shadow Realm for the pain he caused me five millennia ago, for it has been a long time coming for him."

Smiling, Gozaburo said "Good to hear. Now, don't go around advertising that you are free. I want you to continue to act like that sweet innocent fool."

Slightly growling, the spirit replied "Fine, I will, but don't expect me to act like that tomorrow during the duel. I'll crush Illidan and send his soul to the Shadow Realm. It's been five millennia since I have seen him, and yet that hasn't been long enough for me."

Lightly chuckling, Gozaburo said "I'm sure it hasn't been. Now, leave."

The spirit then stood up and stopped at the door. He looked back over his shoulder, saying "I wouldn't get too attached to that crown. I'll be taking it from you soon enough." Then he began to laugh evilly as he shut the door.

Laughing evilly, Gozaburo said "The fool has no idea how wrong he is."


	47. Chapter 47: Reaquainting Past Enemies

**Hey guys. This week was a fun one. I got a year older, plenty of reviews, saw my fiancé (real life Marie, whose middle name happened to be Marie, hence the character Marie O'Dell was born, lol), and nearly finished writing my sequel to this story. Anyways, onto answering some reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yes, Gozaburo has a thing for Marie. As the story goes on, you'll see more and more about it. I believe you learn more about it in a few more chapters actually. But yeah, what a lech, lol. And yeah, I like the spirit of the Millennium Ring as a villain mostly due that he was always up to something. He always has a plan, even when he appears defeated, like with Marik when he lost his duel to Yami Marik. Btw, you're welcome for the review. Your story is interesting, and I look forward to finishing up my reading on it.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Thanks for the comment. I tried to capture both of their characters, as well as all the other show characters. You never see the side of Mai that was very softhearted, but I thought I'd add it in. Sadly, you'll never see it in the show, so I thought why not give her a chance.**

**Isis the Sphinx: True, Mai's surrender was sort of a copy of Duelist Kingdom, but if you knew you was going to lose and didn't want your favorite monster finished off, I'd possibly surrender as well. And yeah, Bakura usually does his best work on his own, but look at it this way. He is facing someone who is several times stronger than himself. Would you want to defy that person in all reality, lol? Thanks for telling me about that one fan fic btw. I started reading it, and it's interesting so far. I haven't gotten very far, like one chapter, lol, but I'm reading it as well as Metal Overlord's. Lol, I have so much stuff to read. I read all kinds of Inuyasha fan fics as well, not to mention a few other fan fics, and then I am constantly writing on my sequel to this story. Sheesh, I read too much, lol.**

**Well, I think that's about it. I can't wait to see more reviews. Till then, enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 47**

Marie was staring at Illidan with her eyes slowly growing dark. She had just screamed his name, but he couldn't get to her fast enough. She slumped over into the floor, with a pool of blood forming on her back. Illidan struggled to get up and quickly as he could ran to her side, screaming her name. He was terrified of losing her, for she was his life, his hope, his dreams, his everything. Life without Marie was impossible for him to dream of, but he knew it would be sterile and boring. All the while that this was happening, that monster Gozaburo was laughing, taking pleasure in her pain!

Illidan then awoke, drenched in sweat. "_A nightmare, only a nightmare. But why the time she was almost taken from me. Why?_" he screamed in his thoughts.

Slowly getting up, Illidan searched for the light switch. Once he found it, he stumbled into the bathroom and took a washcloth out and ran it under some cool water. He slowly wiped his face off and stared at himself in the mirror to only notice the Millennium Key was glowing around his neck.

He wondered why till he felt something. It was something that felt cold and dark. Quickly realizing what this feeling was, he could only label it as evil. This made him realize something sinister was on the prowl.

Pondering to himself, he thought "_Who is this? The only evil I've sensed in the tower so far has been Gozaburo, but this evil is different. It's strong, but not as strong._"

Illidan quickly grabbed a shirt and walked to his door to look down the hallway. He slowly opened his door, taking a glimpse down the hall. There was nothing there yet, but the evil feeling was coming closer. Quickly closing the door as quietly as possible, he then waited for whatever was coming.

He could hear footsteps slowly coming closer to his room. Once they got closer, Illidan looked out the peep hole of his door. There was Bakura in full view in front of his door, who seemed to be roaming the hall. As well, he noticed that the Millennium Ring that Bakura had been wearing all tournament long was now glowing, and the small pointers on it were pointing straight towards Illidan's room.

"_What is he doing up at this hour? And more importantly, why is his Millennium Ring glowing and pointing at my room?_"

About that time, Bakura stopped at his door, seemingly staring a hole through it. Slightly gasping, Illidan thought "_Can he sense me? Wait, knowing how the Millennium Ring works, I bet his ring is sensing my Millennium Key's power. I'd better make myself scarce just in case he decides to come in._"

Illidan then used his Millennium Key to place a veil of darkness around himself, thus making him invisible.

Out in the hall, Bakura's Millennium Ring suddenly stopped glowing and the pointers returned to their normal position. Mumbling to himself, he said "Odd. Illidan's Millennium Key was active till a moment ago. He must have went back to sleep, or he stopped training with it. Whatever the reason is, I'm leaving. My Millennium Ring has led me on a merry little tour. I'll destroy him tomorrow and take his item, helping me become one step closer to achieving my goal!"

Bakura then let out an evil laugh as he slowly walked down the hall towards his room.

Something then hit Illidan's mind, making him aware of what was going on. It all made sense at once. "_This isn't the real Bakura. No, he isn't the same one that me and my other friends know. This is the great evil spirit that I once sealed within his Millennium Ring, the same one that that tried to steal our Millennium Items five millennia ago._"

Sighing, Illidan's thoughts then pressed on. "_So, he's finally returned. I see that his spirit remained intact after all. Now I have to stop him before he hurts the others, or the boy that is his vessel, if he hasn't already done the unthinkable to him._"

Illidan looked out his door again, making sure that the spirit was gone. Once sure, he let his veil of darkness down, becoming visible once more. Sighing, Illidan then realized that their confrontation would have to come to ahead soon or later. "_He's after me only at the moment, so no worries. That's alright though, for I knew this day would come again. I'm sure he's rather angry with me for what happened, but that accident was his own fault._"

Turning to his computer, Illidan walked over to it and checked the tournament's site to see who would duel who that day. Just as he suspected, there was his and Bakura's names set to face one another.

"_Yep, as I thought. Gozaburo is trying to get rid of me now, and what better a way than with an enemy that hates me. I bet he's responsible for freeing the spirit since I haven't sensed him all tournament long. Gozaburo must be getting desperate._" Illidan thought as he lightly chuckled.

Then something dawned on him. "_The duel, I bet it'll be a Shadow Game. I'd almost bet money that the spirit decides to make it one since he's that angry at me. If he does, then I should be able to lock away his spirit forever when I win. That way, the boy won't suffer any more from that evil spirit._"

Illidan then noticed Marie had to duel Bandit Keith for her duel, and lightly chuckled, knowing Marie would take Keith out with ease.

Yawning, Illidan looked over at the clock to see what time it was. It was 2 A.M.! Shocked, Illidan slowly rose back up and went back to bed. After only a few moments, sleep crept up on him, that was till her heard Marie's blood curdling scream in the beginning of a dream again.

Bolting right up, Illidan decided to try and meditate in order to calm his mind. He often did this to help him sleep, to stay awake, or even to concentrate on a task at hand. It worked almost always on him, one way or another. Usually, it depended on his mood and what he wanted more than anything.

He began to slowly relax as he deepened his meditative state. Bit by bit, his mind cleared of all the worries he had, and of all the problems that seemed to bother him.

Smiling inwardly, he thought "_Good thing I kept up with my training. After all, I did study martial arts for many years, and I learned to help cleanse my thoughts through meditation or fighting. I wonder if the reason I learned so much was due to my heritage. I remember I was always a good fighter, not to mention a fast learner. Possibly I'll find out someday, once all my memories are restored._"

Once he finished his meditation, Illidan laid back down onto his bed to sleep. It was now 4 A.M., but he didn't care. His mind and body both screamed for sleep, which came quickly.

About three hours later, his alarm loudly went off. Illidan rolled over towards the clock, thinking mostly about bashing it till it broke, but decided against it and turned it off. As usual, he got up and grabbed some clothes for the day and took his morning shower. Once he returned feeling slightly more awake, he ate some breakfast and then sat down to look at his deck.

After a thorough run through, Illidan decided he was ready. He quickly grabbed his Duel Disk and placed his deck back in it's holder. Once out the door, Illidan made a beeline straight for the elevator.

When he arrived, he noticed that Bakura was already there. A fake innocent smile was on his face, as he made some small talk.

"Good morning chap. Sleep well?" Bakura asked.

Realizing quickly that this wasn't the real Bakura, Illidan came to one conclusion. "_He's just hiding now. He must be trying to lull me into a fake sense of security._"

Putting on a strong front, Illidan smiled and replied "Yes I did. Did you?"

Grinning, Bakura replied "I can't complain. I slept like a baby."

The judge then interrupted, saying "Duelists, please get into the elevator."

Quickly boarding, the three entered and arrived at the top of the tower within moments. Everyone was already up and filling the stands as usual. The two and the judge then proceeded to the center stage.

Once there, Bakura turned to Illidan, saying with mischief in his eyes "This shall be great fun Illidan."

There was an evil grin and a tint of evil in Bakura's voice with those words said. Illidan could feel the evil that surrounded Bakura slowly being revealed. "_It's only a matter of time that he reveals himself. He's about done hiding, but isn't quite ready._"

The judge then had Illidan and Bakura shake hands and shuffle each others deck. The two were then instructed to take their marks once done and bring out their Deck Masters, and finally draw their first five cards. Since Illidan had decided to go second, Bakura would start things off. They each then placed their decks in their Duel Disk's deck slots. Both moved into position and fired their holo projectors. Once the projectors landed, each Duel Disk folded and powered up at the same time.

Smiling somewhat evilly, Bakura said "Illidan, meet my Dark Necrofear (2200/2800)!" An evil blue skinned fiend then appeared on the field with glowing eyes that slightly creped Illidan out.

Slowly regaining his confidence, Illidan said "Come forth my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The large soldier with black armor that shined greatly appeared with his sword and shield in hand.

Smiling evilly at Illidan, the spirit revealed himself as a gust of wind from this revealing blew over the field. This revealing caused Bakura's body to change due to the power of the spirit itself. His face became more evil looking, his eyes more crazy, and his voice changed as well.

He then glared at Illidan, saying "Illidan, I've been waiting for this moment for five millennia. It's time I take your soul and your Millennium Key! Prepare yourself for a Shadow Game!"

Suddenly Bakura's Millennium Ring then glowed brightly, which caused a huge sphere of darkness to appear on the field. It totally engulfed the two duelists, but pushed the judge backwards out of the way. Once done, the sphere was left on the field. Bolts of electricity flickered from it as things proceeded within the black sphere.

Inside, Illidan looked around and saw that only him and the spirit were in the Shadow Realm. "_Hmm, so it's just me and him. Good. Now I won't have to worry about the others as much._" he thought as he slightly smiled inwardly.

Lightly chuckling, Illidan then boldly said "So, I was right all along. You are the spirit of the Millennium Ring, or better known as a former friend known as Bakura who tried to become too greedy at the end of his last life. I'd think you'd have learned your lesson from long ago about trying to steal things that don't belong to you."

Growling, the spirit pointed a finger angrily at Illidan, yelling "Shut up Illidan! I'm tired of seeing you alive! You could have saved Egypt long ago by using the Shadow Games to control the people, but instead, you went along with that foolish pharaoh and locked the powers away into eight items. And then, you foolishly sealed the items away due that you was afraid of them! Why would you do such foolish things Illidan? Answer me!"

Sighing, Illidan then lowered the cloak of darkness that surrounded his Millennium Key. All throughout tournament, Illidan had kept it hidden while dueling, but he would need it in this duel.

Looking up now at the spirit, Illidan said "I see you are going to force me into a Shadow Game, but that's fine. What are the rules?"

"Don't get smug with me! I want answers!" spat the spirit with fire burning in his eyes.

Sighing again, Illidan looked at him and calmly said "You just don't get it. You started sealing your fate the day you attempted to steal from Yami's tomb, and then fully sealed it the day you attempted to take the Millennium Items. Those were your only mistakes in life, yet you don't see them that way. I won't stand here and argue all day, so again, I'll ask what are your rules?"

Smirking, the spirit said "The rules are simple Illidan. The loser of this duel will have their soul fed to the Shadow Realm and the winner gains the loser's Millennium Item."

"I don't want your item. I want the boy you possess freed instead. Promise to free him and then it's a deal." replied Illidan.

Showing a twinge of anger, the spirit replied "Do you take me for a fool Illidan? I will never release my vessel! Him and that fool Yami managed to trap me within my Millennium Ring for a short time, but I was still able to whisper to him. Every day, I would whisper to him how horrible he was, and how I would fix everything. Yet he wouldn't listen to me, saying I was the problem."

"Imagine that." called out Illidan with a smirk.

Frowning, the spirit then continued, saying "Now that I'm free, I never plan on letting that fool run the show again. So, I deny your request Illidan."

Staring right into the spirit's eyes, Illidan said in a demanding voice "I will only warn you once right here and now. Release the boy if you lose, or suffer a fate far worse than the last time you and I met. I promise you no harm if you release the boy. You have my word that I won't do a thing if you free him."

The spirit then began laughing evilly, realizing Illidan wouldn't drop it, but said "You think you will defeat me? You're that confident I see. Fine then, have it your way. If you can somehow or another beat me, I'll release the boy. Happy now Illidan?"

Smiling, Illidan nodded and said "That works for me. Now, let's duel!"


	48. Chapter 48: Shadow Game of Fate, Pt 1

**Hey guys and girls, it's yet another day. Well, let me see, ah, reviews!**

**Brianna Ishtar:Sniffle: I'm sad now… You can't pick between us. Lol, it's alright, I guess… I guess evil maniacs with world domination always get the chicks, lol. That's alright, Illidan got Marie, so happy days, lol. Btw, thanks for the comment on the in-character. I tried to stay true to the characters real character, and not get too far off their realness.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, I was saying that about the spirit of the Millennium Ring. He maybe an ego maniac hell bent on world domination, but he's not an idiot. He knew he was no match for Gozaburo's item, hence he got in line. Hmm, as for any good crossovers, no, I sadly don't. I mostly read Inuyasha fics for the most part.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol! Yep, he's out for blood. After all, in my fic, Illidan is the one that happened to accidentally seal him away. I'm sure that gives the spirit more than enough motivation to take Illidan down. And yeah, those little Fiend creatures are all over that deck. Gozaburo is just trying to get rid of Illidan anyway possible. What better way than by having someone else do your dirty work for you, hehe. Btw, I'll try to finish reading your story sometime soon. I keep getting distracted, not to mention something comes up, so don't worry, I haven't forgotten. Just slightly busy, lol.**

**Well, that's all I have for now, so enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 48**

The spirit now smiled evilly as he drew, saying "You're a fool to take me on Illidan, and an even bigger fool to let me go first. Now prepare for the shadows to swallow your soul whole. First I'll set one monster on the field, and I set one card as well. That ends my move." (Spirit 8000, Illidan 8000)

Drawing, Illidan looked at his hand to see he had Call of the Haunted, Beta the Magnet Warrior, D.D. Warrior Lady, Slate Warrior, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior. The card he had just drawn was Jinzo.

Staring at the spirit's field, Illidan realized he had to be careful. "_I have no idea of what he can do, or is capable of. For now, I'll play it safe though._"

"I'll start by summoning my D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in attack mode." A female warrior in grayish/black armor then appeared on the field. She pulled her sword out of it's sheath and held it in front of herself in order to fight.

"I'll also set one card. D.D. Warrior Lady, attack Bakura's face down monster with Dimension Sword Slash!" The female warrior quickly crossed the field and slashed the card image. The image shattered to reveal a small treasure chest like monster.

Laughing, the spirit said "You attacked my Dark Mimic LV1 (100/1000). Thanks to its special ability, I can now draw 1 new card from my deck. Interesting monster, isn't it Illidan."

Lightly smiling, Illidan said "Thanks to my Deck Master's special ability, I can attack again. D.D. Warrior Lady, direct attack him with Dimension Blade Slash!" Taking off again, the female warrior leapt across the field. As she was about to slash Bakura, Dark Necrofear's eyes began to glow.

The spirit then said "I activate Dark Necrofear's Deck Master ability. At a cost of 500 life points, I can resurrect my Dark Mimic LV1 (100/1000) from the Graveyard to my side of the field, and I'll place it in defense mode." The treasure chest then reappeared on the field, causing the female warrior to hesitate on it's target.

Slightly growling, Illidan said "Fine then, D.D. Warrior Lady, attack his Dark Mimic LV1 with Dimension Blade Slash!" The female warrior then turned towards the treasure chest and slashed it into pieces, causing it to smash into millions of pieces.

As Illidan was about to say something, the spirit said "Before you end Illidan, I once again pay 500 life points, allowing me to resurrect Dark Mimic LV1 (100/1000) once again to the field in defense mode. That'll do it for me, for now." The treasure chest then once again reappeared on the field, seemingly blocking the path to it's master.

Unsure what the spirit was doing, Illidan just said "I'll end my move." (Spirit 7000, Illidan 8000)

Drawing, the spirit grinned, saying "Thanks to the move you made last turn, I am ready to begin tearing you apart. First, I activate Dark Mimic LV1's effect during my Standby Phase, which allows me to sacrifice him to special summon from my deck my Dark Mimic LV3 (1000/1000) in attack mode!" The small treasure chest then disappeared to only be replaced by yet another larger treasure chest.

Staring at this new monster, Illidan's thoughts were jumbled. "_Ok, odd. I don't get it. What is the point of this monster, other than to draw cards?_"

"Now I'll summon the monster known as Giant Orc (2200/0) in attack mode." A large gray looking orc creature with a brown cloth acting like a pair of pants then appeared on the field. It held a rather large club in both of it's hands.

Smirking evilly, the spirit then said "Time to begin my fun. Dark Mimic LV3, attack D.D. Warrior Lady with Chest Chomp!"

Confused, Illidan then watched the weaker monster fly across the field. It attempted to bite the female warrior, which simply jumped out of the way and was then slashed in half by her.

Lightly chuckling, Illidan said "That was pitiful. What were you trying to accomplish by destroying your monster?"

Grinning evilly, the spirit responded "It's rather simple Illidan. When Dark Mimic LV3 goes to the Graveyard, I'm allowed to draw one new card. Also, since he was special summoned by sending Dark Mimic LV1 to the Graveyard, I get to draw yet another card."

The spirit then drew and grinned even more evilly, saying "Hmm, nice cards. Time for me to reveal my trap card, Skill Drain! Now I pay 1000 life points to activate this all powerful card. Thanks to this card, all monster effects are now negated! That means Giant Orc and D.D. Warrior Lady no longer have any effects to use!"

Illidan was shocked at this statement. Both monsters glowed slightly as they seemingly lost power. Then he realized what the spirit was up to. "_I see his plan now. He wanted to get the full effect of Dark Mimic LV3, so he rammed it into D.D. Warrior Lady on purpose. Then he planned on using his trap. Quite a clever plan, but it's about to cost me._"

"Giant Orc, destroy D.D. Warrior Lady with your Bone Club Bash!" Roaring, the orc charged the weaker warrior. He then leapt into the air and came down hard with his club bashing the female warrior, who cried out in pain as she was completely destroyed.

Chuckling evilly, the spirit said "I hope you enjoyed that Illidan. Now, normally my Giant Orc would go to defense mode after an attack, but since my Skill Drain is in play, I don't have to switch its position. I end my turn by setting one card face down. Make your move, if you dare." (Spirit 6000, Illidan 7300)

"_Hmm, he's being quite methodical in this duel. He's playing to make me suffer, yet playing smart._" thought Illidan.

Illidan drew to find his Luster Dragon. Deciding that he'd had enough of Skill Drain, Illidan formulated another plan. "I start by activating my trap card, Call of the Haunted. Now I get to resurrect one monster from my Graveyard, and choose D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600)." The female warrior then returned to the field with her sword drawn once again.

"Next I'll sacrifice her for Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode!" The cyborg in green and black clothes then appeared on the field, with his arms crossed as always.

"Jinzo, negate his trap cards now!" The cyborg then sent out his negating powers, but then suddenly, something seemed wrong.

Laughing evilly, the spirit said "Your pathetic monster won't be negating anything Illidan! His special ability was already negated, remember? Skill Drain works on all monsters, including Jinzo!"

Shocked, Illidan then started to say "Fine the…"

Before he could get another word out, the spirit laughed again and said "I have a surprise for you Illidan. I reveal the trap card Bottomless Trap Hole! Now your monster is removed from play!" Suddenly the ground under the cyborg opened up, causing him to fall in. There was an explosion within a moment, signifying that the cyborg was gone for good now.

Growling, Illidan looked at the cards in his hand. He couldn't summon, and he had nothing to protect him. He had little choice in the matter.

"I end my turn." (Spirit 6000, Illidan 7300)

Drawing, the spirit smiled once again, saying "Prepare to suffer greatly Illidan. This lovely card shall make you pay dearly for the past. I now activate the magic card Masked Doll. I believe you saw this card played by Marik once or more. It negates any life point deductions I'd take by activating monster, magic, or trap cards with a price. Next I'll activate Dark Necrofear's special ability to bring back my Dark Mimic LV3 (1000/1000)." The large treasure chest then reappeared out on the field.

"Don't get to comfortable in seeing this monster, for I now sacrifice it to summon my Lesser Fiend (2100/1000) in attack mode." An odd looking creature that had a light brown, almost golden look that had four arms appeared on the field. It roared and then looked straight at Illidan.

"Lesser Fiend, direct attack Illidan's life points now with Four Armed Fiend Punch!" The golden looking fiend quickly leapt in front of Illidan and punched him hard. Illidan doubled over, holding his stomach, yet remained standing.

His mind filled with pain, as he quickly realized why he was in so much pain. "_The Shadow Games were always real. No wonder I'm in so much pain right now._"

"Time to for your punishment again Illidan. Use your Bone Club Bash on him Giant Orc!" The orc roared and leaped into the air. As he came down, he pulled his club back and then hit Illidan hard with his club, knocking Illidan to the ground. The force of the hit nearly knocked Illidan unconscious, but he laid there, barely able to move it felt like.

The spirit only laughed at Illidan's situation, saying "I warned you not to challenge me you fool, but you refused to listen. Now suffer the consequences!"

While lying there writhing in pain, Illidan heard his name being called. Looking up, he saw Marie, Yami, and Marik standing not too far away.

"_Marie … No, I refuse to let her down! I have to get up, and protect her. I always promised to protect her, and I meant always._"

Noticing the others now, the spirit said "Ah, I see you have come to watch Illidan's last duel. Don't worry, it will be over soon."

Marie slightly growled at the spirit, but then turned back to Illidan, saying "Illidan, get up. We are all here to help you. You have to win!"

Realizing that their items had allowed them into the Shadow Realm most likely, something suddenly came to him that hadn't been thought about before now. "_If I lose, then the spirit could challenge them and take their items. No, I refuse to let him threaten them! I have to stop him, right here and now!_"

Holding his head as he slowly stood, Illidan slowly and painstakingly stood up to face the spirit once more. Standing there on shaking knees, Illidan stared at the spirit. Realizing there was someone else to count on him, he thought "_I have to save the boy. I can't give up! If I fail now, the world is in danger. No, I won't fail! I can't fail! They're all counting on me! I must save them all!_"

Chuckling, the spirit asked "Ready to surrender Illidan?"

Slightly panting, Illidan took a deep breath and said "As long as there is breath in this body, I will never surrender! You shall see soon enough what I'm truly capable of."

Lightly laughing, the spirit said "Bold threat for someone who is about to lose. Now, I end my turn." (Spirit 6000, Illidan 3000)

Staring with full confidence, Illidan said "I promise you this spirit, this duel has only begun."


	49. Chapter 49: Shadow Game of Fate, Pt 2

**Hello again. I've finally decided to start posting four to five chapters a week, so I'll go ahead and post five this week. Now for reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yep, Illidan's taking a beating. Bakura is countering him at every turn, and he just can't get anything going, but don't worry. Illidan will survive. He'll find a way to fight back. He always does, hehe.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Bakura is a different kind of opponent. The others so far Illidan has faced were tough, but Bakura has stepped it up a level, hence making Illidan have to really fight to win this duel. As for something up his sleeve, possibly, lol.**

**Well, that's it guys. I'll post again tomorrow, and then Saturday, so till then, later.**

**Chapter 49**

When the sphere of darkness first appeared, everyone was shocked at the sight. The field was now covered by a large black sphere, keeping all people out. Tristan and Joey had run onto the field foolishly and attempted to run into the sphere. They only succeeded in coming out the other side and running into the judge, who had done the same thing only moments before.

Joey and Tristan had seen this before, and the same thing had happened to them before. Still though, they constantly tried running into it.

Marie only looked on at the sphere, her heart full of worry. "_The one who once controlled the Millennium Ring is back. He has come to take his revenge on Illidan. I don't understand though how he returned._"

Yugi then tapped Marie on the shoulder. Looking at her, Yugi could tell she had much on her mind. Smiling, he said "Don't worry, he'll be fine. We'll get him out."

Nodding, Marie said "I only hope so Yugi. You and me both know what is going on inside of there."

Sighing, Yugi replied "Yeah, I do."

"As do I." replied Marik who had come up from behind them.

Marie spun around with Yugi to see Marik staring at the great dark sphere himself. He then said to Yugi "I think it's time Yami helped us figure out a plan."

Nodding, Yugi then screamed "Yu-gi-oh!" Instantly, Yugi's body transformed, making room for the pharaoh's spirit.

Yami then opened his eyes and looked at the dark sphere, saying "So, I was right. The spirit of the Millennium Ring got free again. I wondered if the seal I placed on him would hold him or not. Now I know it didn't. We must enter and help Illidan before it's too late. Are you with me Marik?"

Marik nodded, saying "I'll do all I can to help."

"What about me?" asked Marie.

Shocked at Marie's statement, Marik shook his head and said "It's too dangerous for you Marie. Besides, you don't have a Millennium Item, so there is no way for you to enter the Shadow Realm with us."

Yami smiled, knowing Marik didn't know about Marie yet for some reason. Marie then smiled at Marik and brought her hands up to her neck. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A small golden glow began to appear around her neck. Soon, the glow dissipated and the Millennium Necklace was shown around her neck.

Marik gasped at this discovery. "_Ishizu had the Millennium Necklace before this tournament, but how did Marie come into possession of it? I remember the pharaoh returning our items only a month or so before the tournament, telling us we'd need them, but it still makes no sense on how Marie got my sister's item. Wait, I haven't seen my sister wearing her item since the boat ride. Did she give it up, or did Marie somehow take it?_"

Nearly speechless, Marik regained his composure and asked "How did you get the Millennium Necklace?"

Smiling, Marie replied "Your sister, Ishizu, returned it to me. You see, I am the reincarnation of the original owner of this item. It was mine in ancient times. With my return, your sister returned the item to me on the boat ride. Now I control it once more."

Surprised, Marik said "I see. That explains a lot."

Interrupting, Yami said "If you two are done discussing this, maybe we should go on in and lend a hand to Illidan."

Marie nodded, and the three touched the side of the black sphere. Slowly, the three then pressed on and entered. Joey was yelling for Yugi as they entered, but he paid no heed. Expecting them to appear on the other side, Joey ran around to find no one. They had all three just vanished.

Smiling, Joey said "I guess they got through."

"Thanks for stating the obvious Joey." replied Tristan sarcastically.

"You know Tristan, some days I feel like ripping off your head, but I'll let it go today. We just have to wait I guess to see what happens."

Inside the Shadow Realm, Marie, Yami, and Marik made their way towards the center. There, they saw a duel was still going on. Illidan was being attacked by a huge monster with a bone club. When its attack hit, Illidan was knocked down to the ground hard, looking almost as if he was knocked unconscious.

Marie called out "Illidan!" She then started to run to him, but Yami grabbed her by the hand. She slightly glared at him, but he only shook his head. Finally, Marie stopped struggling and realized she couldn't interfere.

The spirit looked over at the small crowd, saying "Ah, I see you have come to watch Illidan's last duel. Don't worry, it will be over soon."

Marie then yelled "Illidan, get up! We are all here to help you. You have to win!"

Holding his head, Illidan slowly got to his feet once more. He had a killer headache, but he put his pain aside. Knowing the others had come into the Shadow Realm thanks to their Millennium Items, he returned his focus to the spirit.

Smirking, the spirit asked "Ready to surrender Illidan?"

Looking at the spirit with pure determination, Illidan replied "As long as there is breath in this body, I will never surrender! You shall see soon enough what I'm truly capable of."

Laughing, the spirit said "Bold threat for someone who is about to lose. Now, I end my turn." (Spirit 6000, Illidan 3000)

"I promise you this spirit, this duel has only begun."

Lightly chuckling, the spirit said "Then do please continue."

Illidan drew his next card and smiled, saying "I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards."

Illidan then drew his next 2 cards, smiling even more. "I now play the magic card Heavy Storm, destroying both our magic and trap cards on the field!" A huge set of twisters then appeared, ripping apart each of their magic and trap cards that remained out.

"Blast it!" yelled the spirit.

"I'm not done with you yet spirit. I now play the magic card Dark Hole, destroying all of your monsters too!" A large black hole then opened up and swallowed all the monsters on the field, making the field completely empty once more.

"Now, since we're starting out fresh, I'll summon my Luster Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode." A sapphire colored dragon with ruby eyes then appeared, letting out a small roar as it stared at the spirit.

"Luster Dragon, direct attack his life points with Ruby Blaster!" Roaring, the dragon took flight and released a huge ball of energy at the spirit. He slid back from the blast, but easily recovered.

Laughing, the spirit said "Ah, so you did make a comeback Illidan. I am glad to see you still have some fight left in you. It makes things so much more fun when my prey struggles!"

"You won't be laughing much longer spirit. Now, I end my move." (Spirit 4100, Illidan 3000)

Laughing hard, the spirit said "Ah, I haven't had such a fun Shadow Game in forever. But don't worry Illidan. Once I defeat you, I'll take your three friends items as well, and you all can remain in the Shadow Realm for all eternity!"

"Talk all you want Bakura, but I won't let you harm them or anyone else. Now, make your move." demanded Illidan.

Smirking, the spirit replied "You have no sense of fun within you, Illidan. I draw. Hmm, I'll set one card face down and summon Sangan (1000/600) in attack mode." An orange fur ball creature with three eyes and green arms and feet then appeared.

"I now use my Dark Necrofear to bring back my Giant Orc (2200/0) in attack mode." The gray orc creature then reappeared, letting out a primal roar.

"Giant Orc, smash that Luster Dragon with Bone Club Bash!" The orc leaped into the air and came down hard on the sapphire dragon with his powerful club, instantly smashing the dragon into millions of pieces. Once back on Bakura's side of the field, the orc took a sitting position, showing he was in defense.

"Now, my Giant Orc goes to defense mode due to his ability. Time for Sangan to get his shot in. Direct attack his life points Sangan with Tri Eye Beam!" Opening it's three eyes wide, the orange fur ball let loose a blast that struck Illidan hard. He slid back a bit, but remained standing.

"That should do it. I end my turn." (Spirit 3600, Illidan 1700)

Illidan drew and said "I set one card face down. Next I summon Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode." The blue headed fiend then appeared. His golden armor didn't put up much of a shine within the darkness of the Shadow Realm. Still, the fiend let his hand rest on the hilt of his large halberd that remained on his back.

"Slate Warrior, destroy his Giant Orc with Fiend Slash!" The golden armored fiend glided across the field and then pulled his large halberd off his back. He then sliced the orc in half with a simple motion.

"Thanks to that attack, my Deck Master allows him to attack again. Slate Warrior attack his Sangan with Fiend Slash!" The fiend then rushed across the field and sliced the little creature in half, causing it to scream in pain as it exploded.

Smiling, the spirit said "Thanks to your move Illidan, I can now add one new monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points to my hand. And I pick my Earthbound Spirit (500/2000). Also, I'm not done. I activate the trap card Destiny Board!" A large Widgi Board appeared on the field.

Unsure of what this thing could do, Illidan asked "What is that thing?"

"Glad you asked Illidan. Once I activate this trap card, you have till I spell out the word 'Final' to stop me. If I succeed, which I will, in spelling out that word, I win automatically. Now, try and stop me Illidan, but you will fail! Now, I get my first letter, and it's an F." The large Widgi Board then glided over to the letter F, and a letter began to glow above the board. The huge F was in a white flame with a skeleton holding it.

"I end my move..."

The spirit then interrupted, saying "Not so fast Illidan. Thanks to Destiny Board, at the end of your turn, I can add another letter from my hand or deck. So, I add the letter I from my hand. So, I play the magic card Spirit Message I." The large Widgi Board then moved to the letter I. A large I then appeared beside the F. Like the F, the I was covered in a white flame with a skeleton holding on.

Growling, Illidan finally said "Fine, I end my move." (Spirit 2700, Illidan 1700)


	50. Chapter 50: Shadow Game of Fate, Pt 3

**Hey all. I see everyone noticed that Destiny Board is supposed to spell 'Death,' but the Konami changed the cards for America, I guess. They spell out 'Final,' as did the show in America, so blame them! With that said, back to reviews.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yes, curse all of those sexy ancient Egyptians, lol.**

**Brianna Ishtar: If he wins, the world will be forced to… Hmm, can't think of anything good at the moment, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, most of the chapters are done, with exception of reading back through to catch small mistakes. I have many, lol, at times. And yes, as you said, it spells DEATH in Japan, but not America. Makes you ponder if America fears death instead of final, lol.**

**At any rate, I'm finished for the day, so enjoy the chapter. I'll post again Saturday as usual, so till then, have fun and read.**

**Chapter 50**

Evilly smiling, the spirit drew, saying "It's my move now Illidan, and I'll start by summoning the monster known as Earthbound Spirit (500/2000) in defense mode." A creature that looked like a spirit made up of earth only then appeared. It was an awful looking creature, to say the least.

"That ends my move Illidan. Now, do remember you only have a few short turns till I get Final spelled out. Once it's spelled, you're finished." (Spirit 2700, Illidan 1700)

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Illidan said as he drew his next card. Glancing at his Slate Warrior, he decided to play it to it's full effect, but he had to protect it to do that.

"I set one monster. That ends my …"

The spirit interrupted, saying "Wait Illidan! Before you end, I get another letter for Destiny Board. And the next letter is N. So, I play Spirit Message N from my hand and there we are." The N was chosen then by the giant Widgi Board. A flaming N with a skeleton then appeared beside the F and I.

"Only 2 more turns Illidan, and then you're finished, muwhahaha!"

Sighing, Illidan said "We'll see spirit. I end my move." (Spirit 2700, Illidan 1700)

Drawing, the spirit then said "Now, it's my move. I'll summon my Headless Knight (1450/1700) in defense mode." A suit of armor then appeared on the field in a one knee position. The armor had everything, but a head. The suit appeared completely hollow as well.

"Next I'll activate my Dark Necrofear's special ability to bring back Sangan (1000/600) and my Lesser Fiend (2100/1000) each in defense mode." The orange fur ball then reappeared with it's arms crossed, as did the golden colored fiend with four arms that did the same as the fur ball with it's arms.

"Now, I end my move." (Spirit 1700, Illidan 1700)

Suddenly it dawned on Illidan what the spirit was doing. "_He's defending himself. If I don't stop him now, what will I do in a turn? I have to take him down now. It's the only way for me to beat his Destiny Board. With our life points even, I have to act now. Come on Heart of the Cards, guide me._"

Illidan drew to find his Graceful Charity. "I play Graceful Charity. Now I can draw 3 new cards, but I must discard 2 from my hand when I'm done." Illidan then picked up three new cards and looked them over with a smile.

"Now I discard my Dark Magician of Chaos and Kuriboh. Next I play Monster Reborn, bringing back Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode!" A fiery pentagram then filled the field and slowly the mage in black clad armor appeared. His blue skin let off a soft tone thanks to the fire. He had his eyes closed, seemingly concentrating as he rose from the flames. Once on the field, he opened his eyes to reveal yellow corneas and red irises. Then with a sweep of his staff, the flames were extinguished.

"Thanks to Dark Magician of Chaos special effect, I can now return one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand, so I pick Monster Reborn. Now I flip summon my face down monster, which is Slate Warrior (1900/400)!" The new blue headed fiend then made his entrance with his hand on the hilt of his halberd.

"Since I flip summoned him, his special effect kicks in, giving him an additional 500 attack and defense points (2400/900)!" The fiend then glowed as he seemed to be powering up for a moment.

"Dark Magician of Chaos, attack his Earthbound Spirit with Chaos Slice!" Raising his staff, the mage then made a slicing like movement, which sent out an energy blade straight at the spirit creature. The blade slashed right through it, causing the creature to cry out in pain for only a moment before it was destroyed.

"Now your monster is removed from play thanks to Dark Magician of Chaos's effect. Next I activate my Deck Master's ability, allowing Dark Magician of Chaos to attack again. Dark Magician of Chaos, use Chaos Slice on his Sangan!" The mage once again created an energy blade that easily slashed the orange fur ball creature in half.

"Slate Warrior, the one with the bonus, attack Headless Knight with Fiend Slash!" The blue headed fiend quickly rushed across the field. Nearly half way across, he pulled his halberd off his back and pulled it up to slash the weaker knight. The knight was slashed easily in half, leaving only a shattered image of what had been there.

"Finally, my other Slate Warrior, destroy Lesser Fiend with Fiend Slash!" The weaker golden colored fiend soon found himself sliced in half as well thanks to the blue headed fiend monster.

"Now, get a piece of Destiny Board so I can finish you off next turn."

Smirking, the spirit laughed, saying "I now play the Spirit Message A to the field from my deck. That shall do it for Destiny Board this turn."

Nodding, Illidan said "Fine. I end my turn." (Spirit 1700, Illidan 1700)

Smirking once again, the spirit drew, saying "I start by summoning my Archfiend Soldier (1900/1500) in defense mode." A purple monster with what looked like a brown cape then appeared. He had long satanic horns on his head that curved around the side of his head. To say the least, he looked more like a demon than anything.

"Next I use my Deck Master to bring back Headless Knight (1450/1700), Lesser Fiend (2100/1000), and my Giant Orc (2200/0) in defense mode." Each of the monsters then reappeared in a defensive stance.

Laughing evilly, the spirit then said "Let's see you get through this Illidan! You're about to lose your soul to the Shadow Realm, and I will gain your Millennium Key and more importantly grant you what you deserve for what you did to me! I now end my move." (Spirit 200, Illidan 1700)

Staring at what seemed like evil itself, Illidan said "I'm not finished yet Bakura. I still have this turn to turn things around." Looking at his deck, Illidan knew he could still win, it just all pended on what he drew next. "_Heart of the Cards, please guide me._"

Illidan then closed his eyes and drew his next card. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see what he had drawn. Smiling at the sight, he knew now he had the duel won.

"I hope you're ready to release that boy spirit, because I'm about to defeat you. I now remove from play from my Graveyard my Kuriboh and D.D. Warrior Lady, allowing me to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500) in attack mode!" The large black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field, letting loose a terrifying roar at the spirit who seemed unfazed.

"Prepare to lose as I now summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800) in attack mode." The pink magnet creature then appeared on the field as it stretched out and prepared for a fight.

"Gamma the Magnet Warrior, destroy his Giant Orc with Magnet Punch!" Flying at a incredible speed, the warrior quickly struck the gray orc, causing the orc to roar as it blew up into millions of pieces.

"Slate Warrior, the one with bonus attack and defense, destroy his Headless Knight with Fiend Slash!" Obeying the command, the blue headed fiend quickly dashed across the field and slashed the hollow armor with his large halberd, making the armor explode into millions of pieces.

"My other Slate Warrior, destroy his Archfiend Soldier with Fiend Slash!" The second blue headed fiend then did as his fellow fiend had done, quickly slashing the purple satanic looking monster, causing it to explode.

"Finally, Dark Magician of Chaos, destroy his Lesser Fiend with Chaos Slice!" The mage brought his staff up and made a slice through the air, causing a blade of energy to go flying at the weak golden colored fiend. The fiend didn't make a sound, for the blade had killed it within a matter of moments, causing the fiend to explode as the others had.

"It's time to end this spirit! Now I will free the boy you control. Chaos Emperor Dragon, direct attack the spirit's life points with Chaos Blaster!" Roaring loudly, the dragon threw it's head back as it then threw it forward, spitting a powerful blast of black energy straight at the spirit who only stood there grinning evilly.

The spirit only laughed when suddenly a cloud of brown fur balls with purple eyes then appeared, absorbing the blast for their master. Laughing still, the spirit said "You fool! You will never defeat me that easily! My Kuriboh's have just won me the game! Now you're finished!"

Smirking, Illidan said "Not quite. I had hoped to not have to resort to this, but I will since there is no other choice."

With a puzzled look on his face, the spirit then began to laugh, saying "You have nothing left to attack with! Face it Illidan, you've lost. I win!"

Smirking still, Illidan replied "Not quite since I still have my dragon's effect. I now activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's special ability. I pay 1000 life points in order for him to destroy everything on the field and in our hands!"

Suddenly the spirit went white as a ghost, screaming "No! You can't!"

Smiling at the horror on the spirit's face, Illidan replied "I can and will. This is for the boy you trapped! Chaos Emperor Dragon, use your Infinite Blaster to end this game!" The dragon let out a loud roar as it flew to the center of the field. There, it began to gather up tremendous energy which caused it to glow brightly. Finally, the dragon roared one last time as he glowed so brightly that no one could look at him. Then in a flash, the dragon exploded, destroying all monsters, magic, and trap cards on the field, as well as the cards in Illidan and the spirit's hands.

The spirit was knocked to the ground hard by the blast, and still sat there even after the blast subsided.

Seeing this, Illidan said "Since we both had more than 1 card in our hands and on the field, you lose. The damage to be done to you would be 300 times however many cards there were on our fields and in our hands. And since I hold 1 card in my hand, and have 4 monsters on the field, along with one face down card, and you have 4 cards on your field, along with 2 cards in your hand, that means you lose and that this duel is over!" (Spirit 0, Illidan 700)


	51. Chapter 51: Fate of the Spirit

**Hello once more. Thanks for the reviews so far guys. I'm glad you all like this story so far. Lol, it took me quite a bit of time to write it, but it was fun. At any rate, to the reviews!**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks. I tried to stick with Bakura's deck style from the show the best I could, and added a few things here and there. As for topping this match, I'm sure someone could. Don't forget, Yami and Marie are left on Illidan's duel opponents, and neither has lost in single action, yet. And keep up the good work on your story. I know it helps to get a few words of encouragement, not to mention a few reviews always makes it seem worth while. It took me a while to get some, but now, I get plenty for each, hehe. So, keep at it. You'll get there.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Lol! He's down, but not out.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Thanks about the comeback. Couldn't have Illidan sent to the Shadow Realm early, now could I? Lol, but thanks, and yes, you can kill them, I guess, just this once. Only in your mind though, not physically, hehe.**

**Well, that's it for me today. I'll post again Monday most likely. Till then, enjoy.**

**Chapter 51**

The spirit only sat there, shocked at his loss. Illidan then snapped him back into reality, saying "You lose spirit, and now you must leave the boy's mind and return to the Millennium Ring as you agreed."

Growling, the spirit stood up, angrily saying "Never! I'd rather die than give up the boy's body. I will never leave this vessel!"

Illidan sighed, thinking that this might happen. "_So, he won't go down without a fight. Fine, let him be that way._"

Looking at the spirit, Illidan slowly began to walk towards him. Seeing Illidan was advancing, the spirit slowly backed up, but then smirked as he took hold of his Millennium Ring with his right hand. It began to glow with power, showing he wasn't ready to give up yet.

"I refuse to give up my vessel. Try and stop me if you want, but I think you'll find it impossible to defeat me. And I have a feeling you'll be losing your soul if you try to take the boy from me!" spat the spirit angrily.

Illidan then grabbed his Millennium Key in his right hand and continued to slowly advance on the spirit. His key slowly began to glow rather brightly, showing his item was indeed powerful as well.

With steel in his voice, Illidan said "If you won't leave his body peacefully, then you leave me with no choice but to force you out. Prepare yourself for a Shadow Game, one much like what you did to Pegasus."

Puzzled, the spirit asked "How do you know about what I did to him?"

Slightly smiling, Illidan replied "The Millennium Key has told me what it sensed that day. It told me of the tremendous energy it felt from your ring and his eye. Pegasus was exhausted from his duel with Yami, and was for sure no match for anyone at the moment. You knew that and took full advantage of him, knowing he desperately wanted more Millennium Items. That is no way to play a Shadow Game against someone. If you can't fight someone when they're at full strength, then it just shows how big a coward you are."

Pausing, Illidan then looked at him with somewhat softer eyes, saying "I remember once that you were nothing more than a kind soul in ancient times. You were one of eight that were on the Shadow Court, and you helped protect Egypt with all that you were, much like how all eight of us did. You even helped heal the people of Egypt, giving many a second chance at life. Then you changed the day of the battle with Gozaburo. The Millennium Crown somehow or another corrupted you, tainting your once innocent spirit, which changed you into a thief, an evil doer, and nothing more than a criminal."

Again pausing, Illidan then showed his ice cold eyes again, saying "I couldn't believe what had happened, for you betrayed us all in the end, yet you seem to feel no guilt, no pity, and no remorse about your actions that day. And here we are once again, five millennia later, and yet you still don't understand what you've done or become. I felt slightly guilty that your soul was trapped within your Millennium Ring, but after attempting to do the unthinkable by stealing all the items and trying to conquer the world with them, I lost that guilt. I realize now that your soul will forever be tormented by this greed and blinding inhabitation, for you care nothing about anyone."

Staring now at the spirit with eyes of burning anger, Illidan said "Even the vessel you are so protective of, you care nothing for him. You'd let him die if need be for your own schemes to succeed. Now I must put an end to the endless destruction you brought about, and I'll do it with the thing you have been after since you met me. I will seal you away forever after this match, but I will offer you one last chance to surrender. Come peacefully and I'll allow you to live with the vessel, but you must never do anything against his will or harm him. If you choose to not do this, then I shall seal you away forever. I have no desire to do it, but I will do what is right for your vessel and the world."

Growling, the spirit pointed his Millennium Ring directly at Illidan, saying "I'll never give up this vessel! And he will never be free from me. Now, die!"

The ring glowed with immense power and fired a beam straight at Illidan. Illidan then pointed his key at the spirit, firing a beam as well directly at the beam coming his way. The two beams met in the center between the two, showing that the power of both items seemed rather even.

Laughing evilly, the spirit taunted Illidan, saying "Is that all you have Illidan? You'd better prepare to lose then if it is!"

The spirit then increased the power going into his ring, forcing the beam to slowly push back towards Illidan.

With a voice of steel, Illidan said "You don't get it, do you? I can't and won't let you win!"

With that said, more power flared out of Illidan's key, causing the beam to center up once again. The spirit growled with frustration, surprised Illidan was still so strong. Once again, the spirit poured more power into his ring, pushing the beam slowly back towards Illidan.

"Die fool!" screamed the spirit.

Still staring at the spirit with cold eyes, Illidan replied "I don't think so spirit. I won't let you harm that boy or my friends. Now, perish!"

With that, more power flared out of Illidan, causing the beam he was firing to grow much stronger. The extra energy pushed the beam straight back to the center and then some back towards the spirit. There was only a few inches of safety now for the spirit, for Illidan had purposely left the beam a bit away from the spirit's body.

With icy eyes still, Illidan said "Give up now, or die!"

Staring at the icy look Illidan had on his face, the spirit suddenly realized Illidan was still holding back some of his power. "_He could have easily destroyed me already. I see like me, he has grown stronger, but still, that don't mean I can't win still!_"

Laughing evilly, the spirit then said "This may cost me all my energy, but I'll defeat you!"

Pouring all his power into the beam, the spirit then watched as the beam then pushed back towards the center, but suddenly it went no further. Now the spirit was just struggling to hold the beam right there.

Shocked, the spirit yelled "How can this be? You shouldn't be this strong!"

With a voice of steel, Illidan replied "I am, and I intend to stop you right now. I gave you a chance and you have turned me down. Now I have no choice. Time for you to go away forever spirit!"

With that said, Illidan then pushed even more power into his Millennium Key and the beam grew larger and flew straight back into the spirit, causing a powerful shockwave. The spirit then tumbled backwards as Illidan quickly ran over to him and pressed his Millennium Key to the spirit's head, and simply turned it.

Instantly, Illidan was inside of Bakura's mind. He was in a hallway that had two rooms. One room that was on the left looked like a normal door of pure innocence, yet the other door that was on the right had the Millennium Symbol on it.

Realizing that was the room he needed, Illidan proceeded towards the door. As he passed the innocent door, suddenly the door crept open to reveal a frightened boy with tears in his eyes. To say the least, he seemed to be scared witless.

In a timid voice, he said "Are you here to stop the spirit?"

Illidan could tell immediately that the boy was terrified of the spirit. "_The spirit must have kept him in his room. No wonder Bakura is scared of the spirit. The spirit has such awesome powers that the poor boy is terrified of him._"

"Leave him be!" yelled someone down the hall.

Illidan looked back towards the spirit's room to see him in the doorway. This spirit, the one he once called friend, as well that was once called Bakura only glared at him. The young boy quickly jumped in behind Illidan when he had heard the spirit speak.

"_So much fear is in this boy. He knows the spirit will do whatever it takes to keep his body for himself._"

In a calm voice, Illidan said "Please, stop this madness. As a spirit, you know that you have a duty to protect your vessel, and the duty to respect the vessel's wishes. This boy has no wish to hurt anyone and only wishes to live a peaceful life. Yet you ignore him and his wishes so you can fulfill your own desires. Please stop this now before I have no choice but to seal you away forever."

Laughing, the spirit replied with steel in his voice, saying "You will not be doing anything to this boy Illidan! I will remain in control, and he'll like it one way or another! Now vessel, come here to me. Help me destroy this foolish intruder."

The boy only continued to cower behind Illidan. He was shaking, knowing that if he disobeyed, the spirit would be mad at him. Realizing this, Illidan thought "_He's so scared. I don't think he'll do it. I hope he won't. I'd hate to seal two souls._"

Growling, the spirit ran towards Illidan, who simply jumped forward and kicked the spirit in the stomach, knocking him against the back of the hallway. Taking this opportunity, Illidan then quickly ran and grabbed the spirit before he could recover. Gathering him up, he quickly tossed the spirit back into his room, knowing he didn't have any time to waste.

The spirit quickly recovered from being thrown and the two locked hands together, pushing one another. As the struggle continued on, the young boy slowly inched his way down the hall towards the fight. Seeing this, Illidan quickly delivered a kick into the gut of the spirit once more, making the spirit fly further back into his room.

Quickly leaving the room, Illidan saw the boy by the door and he screamed "NOW BAKURA!"

The boy grabbed hold of the door and slammed it shut. Illidan then took his Millennium Key and pushed it into the lock on the door, making the door instantly lock.

The spirit then came screaming to the door, screaming "LET ME OUT NOW! I CANNOT BE SEALED! YOU'LL NEVER GET RID OF ME!"

Illidan then placed a barrier over the door, causing all sound within that room to cease from being heard on the outside. Illidan then placed a strong seal on the door with his Millennium Key's help. He made the seal so only a person controlling his Millennium Key could unlock the door.

Sighing, Illidan looked at the youth and said "Thank you for your help. So, you're the real Bakura Ryou?"

Nodding timidly, the boy said "Yes, I am. I'm sorry for all the spirit did. I couldn't stop him. Gozaburo released him last night during your tag team duel. I couldn't stop him. I just was no match for his powers..."

The boy then fell to the floor, sobbing, saying "He's hurt so many people. He could have hurt so many more if not for you. I wish I'd never been given this awful ring. It's done nothing but horrible things ever since I've received it. Why Yugi returned it to me I'll never know."

Puzzled, Illidan asked "Yugi gave you back the ring?"

Still crying, Bakura nodded, saying "After the Battle City Tournament, Yugi had four Millennium Items altogether. He had The Millennium Puzzle, my Millennium Ring, Mairk's Millennium Rod, and Ishizu's Millennium Necklace. About a month or two ago, right before the announcement of Tournament of Power, he returned each of our items to us. He said that he was lending them back to us, hoping that in the next few months of darkness that we'd be able to help him."

Then stopping for a moment, Bakura continued, saying "With Yami's help, I was able to seal away the dark spirit of the Millennium Ring. He was still able to whisper to me, but it was a small price to pay for all he had done to those I loved and cared about."

More tears began to fall, as Bakura continued to release the emotions that were locked away deep within him. "Then last night, Gozaburo called me to his office during the tag team duel. When I got there, I found his room torn to pieces, but he let me in anyways. Once in, he asked me about the spirit of my Millennium Ring. I refused to answer about him and prepared to leave. He then pulled out a strange looking crown that had the Millennium Symbol on it. He then used his item to break the seal that was keeping the spirit locked away. He was easily freed and instantly took over my body. I was in fear, knowing that he'd destroy me for sealing him. But he didn't destroy me. He only told me to stay in my chamber. Then he continued his control of my body. But I know the terrible things he has done. All the awful crimes he's committed against so many innocent people. No matter how hard I try, I still can't erase the evil he leaves!"

Bakura then began sob even more, bashing the floor of the hallway with his fists, saying "I know all that he's done, and he says that I'm the cause of it. But I can't stop him. I want to, but I can't!"

Bakura only continued to cry while he bashed the floor more. Illidan stood there, feeling deep remorse for what the spirit had done to the poor boy. "_I feel so bad for him. He's had to bear the brunt of the spirit's evil for so long. He never got a chance to be himself._"

Lightly patting the boy's should, Illidan said in a kind voice "Don't worry Bakura. From now on, things are going to be different."

Looking up at Illidan with a tear streaked face, he asked "What do you mean? He can still get free, and then he'll only continue to hurt the ones I love again."

Illidan then got down onto his knees, and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, calmly, yet kindly saying "No, he won't ever harm you again. I sealed him in his room permanently this time. Only my Millennium Key can set him free, and I don't intend on freeing him, or ever to try. Please understand, it's not your fault that the spirit took possession of you. You were just along for the ride when he took control of your body. You have nothing to be sorry for. It was never your desire to hurt people. It was his only. I promise, if he ever comes back again, I'll stop him for you. You're not alone Bakura. Remember, your friends are always there for you, and I'll always be here to help you."

Standing up, Illidan then offered his hand to the boy, who gladly took it. Looking around, Illidan then said "Now, let's get out of here and back to normal. I've had enough of these Shadow Games for one day."

Slowly, Bakura dried his tears and then slightly grinned, saying "Thanks."

Smiling, Illidan replied "No problem Bakura."

Illidan's Millennium Key then glowed as they both returned to the world they had left. Illidan then took his key back away from Bakura's head. Bakura blinked his eyes and then slowly got up, realizing they were still in the Shadow Realm. Yami, Marie, and Marik then rushed over to see how the two were doing.

"Are you two alright?" asked Marie.

Smiling, Illidan replied "We're both fine. It's all under control now."

Yami nodded and Marik then asked "What happened to the spirit of the Millennium Ring, Illidan?"

Illidan looked over at Marik, saying "He's having a permanent time out in his room right now. He won't be bothering us again, hopefully ever. As long as I control the Millennium Key, he'll never be free again."

Bakura then looked at Illidan, asking "What now?"

Looking around, Illidan replied "Well Bakura, we end this Shadow Game. Even though I won, you must use your ring to put an end to this Shadow Game."

Nodding, Bakura then concentrated on his ring and the Shadow Realm slowly disappeared. Once the Shadow Realm finally disappeared, Illidan and the others were seen once again on the field. The judge quickly ran over and saw that Illidan's life point counter still had points while Bakura's had zero.

The judge, with a still bewildered look on his face, said "The winner of this duel, Illidan Stormrage!"

Illidan smiled, happy that he'd won, but happier that he'd helped Bakura escape the evil of the Millennium Ring once and for all. Looking at the boy who was smiling happily, Illidan silently thought "_Maybe now Bakura can have a life of peace._"

Joey and the others that had been waiting for the sphere to disappear then ran up and were filled with questions.

During the questions, Joey pointed at Illidan's Millennium Key and asked "Hey Illidan, where did you get that thing?"

Lightly smiling, Illidan replied "I got it long ago Joey, and I'm finally showing that I have it. I know Gozaburo will know for sure now that I'm the reincarnation of the past Illidan, so let him see it to know that I'm him for sure."

Scratching his head due to his confusion, Joey just gave a reply of "Ok…"

The group continued to talk for a while till they realized the rest of the duels had to continue.

Elsewhere in the tower, Gozaburo was sitting in his office calmly watching the festivities. For once, he didn't tear up his office due to the win Illidan had. He sat there, staring at his monitor of the Duel Ring, smirking evilly.

In an evil voice, he said "So, you've finally shown that you have the Millennium Key. Well, that only means one thing. You are the true reincarnation of Illidan Stormrage from ancient times. I knew you'd show yourself eventually. That foolish spirit of the Millennium Ring failed me, but no matter. I'll finish you off soon enough Illidan. Yes, soon enough." Gozaburo then laughed evilly, for he knew how to do it as well.


	52. Chapter 52: Confrontation with Evil

**Howdy all. Wow, I got a few more reviews than usual, so happy day! Lol, me be silly since it's 5 A.M., and I went to bed at midnight. 'Sighs' Oh well, I'll get over it. At any rate, enough complaining about my fun life, lol. Time to move onto the reviews.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Good question about Gozaburo. This chapter will show you actually, so that's one less question, lol. As for the spirit, yep, he's gone. Forever though, well, most likely unless Illidan has a change of heart, which is rather unlikely due that the two don't get along.**

**Isis the Sphinx: If you look closely, he does have one major weakness. He may not show it much, but his major weakness will become rather apparent soon.**

**Divine Weapon: Currently, he is eighteen. Same for Marie, but they're ages were different in ancient times. 'Sniffle' Big meanie! Lol, kidding as well. Thanks for the comment.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, I thought I'd have Gozaburo's reaction be a bit different. He didn't think the spirit could win, but wanted to make sure, just to test Illidan out. Good question as to what he has up his sleeve. As I said earlier, you'll find out this chapter. Lol, yeah, Bakura put up a heck of a fight, but he went down swinging still. As for about Diabound, well, when I began work on this story, the show hadn't gotten that far. I think it had just gotten into the Seal series, or was getting ready to. In either case, I had no clue about Diabound till recently. Lol, and no problem about your story. I know everyone needs a little feedback to help them along. Lol, that's what makes posting this story so fun. I love seeing the feedback on it.**

**Well, I'm done for the morning now. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. A few things might just be answered here. Till tomorrow, enjoy.**

**Chapter 52**

Once the day's duels finished out, the rankings were updated as usual. The duel between Illidan and Bakura was decided as Illidan winning. Yugi and Marik dueled after Illidan, and Yugi won by using Slifer the Sky Dragon. After that, Seto and Noa had their duel, with Noa pulling an upset victory over Seto. Mai and Joey then dueled, and Joey prevailed due to the luck of his Time Wizard. The final duel was Marie and Bandit Keith. Marie easily picked Keith's machines apart piece by piece.

The rankings shaped up to be as follows: 1st Illidan Stormrage, 2nd Yugi Moto, 3rd Marie O'Dell, 4th Marik Ishtar, 5th Seto Kaiba, 6th Joey Wheeler, 7th Noa Kaiba, 8th Mai Valentine, 9th Bakura Ryou, and 10th Bandit Keith.

Once the duels were finished, Illidan headed for his room. He was exhausted from play the Shadow Game, and as well tired from having to seal the spirit of the Millennium Ring. "_I haven't played many of those Shadow Games in forever, but still, I don't like them no matter what. They just take a lot of my energy to play._"

Illidan returned to his room and laid down on his bed. He was drifting off to sleep when he heard the loud speaker come on, which made him jump. It scared him half to death, for he was nearly asleep.

The judge's familiar voice then said "Attention duelists. There will be a Tag Team Title duel tonight. It will be Illidan and Marie, the champions, against Seto and Noa. I repeat, Illidan Stormrage and Marie O'Dell vs. Seto and Noa Kaiba. Don't forget, the duel starts at 7 P.M. That is all."

Illidan slowly regained his calmness and composure. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was already 3:00 P.M. "_Hmm, a tag team duel against Seto and Noa. I wonder what Gozaburo was thinking when he paired those two up. No matter I guess. Me and Marie will win it, one way or another. I just need some sleep before then though._" he mused quietly.

He was almost asleep again when he heard his door being banged on. Growling, Illidan got out of bed, intent on telling whoever it was to just go away. He didn't even look to see who it was. Once he opened the door, he was shocked to see none other than Gozaburo Kaiba. Illidan's mind immediately woke up at this sight.

"_What does he want? Is he here to fight me?_"

Smirking, Gozaburo said "Mind if I come in Illidan?"

Slightly shocked, Illidan said "Sure, come on in."

As Gozaburo came in, Illidan noticed that he was wearing the Millennium Crown on his head. Immediately Illidan was on edge, thinking "_He has become so powerful now. I really have to be cautious._"

"Acting cautiously around me won't work too well Illidan." stated Gozaburo.

Shocked, Illidan said "Huh? How did you know what I was … I see. You used the power of the Millennium Crown. It has all the abilities of the seven Millennium Items, and you were using Pegasus's Millennium Eye's power."

Smirking, Gozaburo nodded. Illidan then concentrated created a small mind shield with the power of his Millennium Key, hoping that it would be enough to keep him safe. Once he was certain Gozaburo couldn't enter his mind again, he began to let his thoughts return.

In a curious, yet cautious voice, Illidan asked "What do you want Gozaburo?"

Lightly chuckling, Gozaburo replied, saying "Illidan, I'm surprised you got right to the point. As you know, you are in this contest to defeat me, or at least try. Well, you should know that I won't let you win that easily. I've known for quite sometime that you were the reincarnated version of your past self. You see, the reason I even allowed you entry to this contest was my Millennium Crown showed me that you was possibly the reincarnation of the one that destroyed the original owner of the crown, one known in ancient times as Gozaburo Tark. Over the last week, I've found out the crown was right, and watched you as you have grown stronger each duel. I'm sure you have plenty of questions for me. So, go ahead and ask me."

Taking a seat right in front of Illidan, Gozaburo smirked, making Illidan think "_Bold now, isn't he._"

Taking a seat himself, Illidan sat straight across from Gozaburo. He tried looking into the eyes of his bitter enemy of the past, knowing that talking with him could be a bad thing.

"First, I want to know something. Are you the true reincarnation of Gozaburo of the past? You look exactly as he did from that time. You know I'm the reincarnation of Illidan, but I want to know, are you Gozaburo's reincarnation?"

An evil laugh escaped Gozaburo, as he said "You know, I get that from each of you fools from that time period. That foolish spirit of the Millennium Ring, or the one once known as Bakura in ancient times, asked the same thing. He seemed afraid that I was. I think it is mostly due to what that Gozaburo did to you and the others of your little group. Anyways, I'm not the reincarnation of that Gozaburo. I do have his memories thanks to the Millennium Crown, but I am not him. If I was, you'd be dead by now. So, enough chit chat about that. I still know how you killed him, and I know the anger he felt by it. And I know of the remorse that he felt for having to attack Marie. Yes, he felt so much remorse for it."

Illidan growled in anger that that monster could even feel anything for Marie. He then spat out angrily "The only reason he felt remorse was due that he loved her! She didn't want a thing to do with him, yet he tried desperately to win her heart. And I know it destroyed him when she chose me over him, but he wouldn't let it go. No matter what I tried to do, he wouldn't let it go. Marie had told him then, and she'd tell you now if she was around, that …"

Holding up a hand, Gozaburo interrupted, saying "Hold on Illidan. You can't fool me. Marie is alive, and she is here in this tower. I know that she is the one that controls the Millennium Necklace now. I knew when I invited her here that she was possibly Marie as well, so I invited her like I did you. Also, I saw that she has the Millennium Necklace from when you and the others came out of the Shadow Realm. Don't try and deny it. She will be mine in the end, or be destroyed!"

Illidan was growling rather loudly now as his anger caused him to think "_How dare he threaten her!_"

Still growling, Illidan then said "You won't lay a hand on her. Do, and I'll do much worse to you than what I did to the Gozaburo of the past. He was a mad man, and threatened the one I love, as well as all of my friends. If you do the same, I'll do as I did to him to you. I am not threatening you, I'm telling you. Do as you want to me, but leave Marie and the others out of this!"

Laughing evilly, Gozaburo replied "You're still the same Illidan. According to the memories I have, you would still throw your life away to protect those fools. You told the former owner of the crown the same thing, yet he persisted due to his love for Marie. You will lose her in the end Illidan, and she'll join me or perish in the process."

Standing, Illidan stared at Gozaburo with great anger in his eyes. Gozaburo stood as well, making the two look face to face. Suddenly, the room started filling with tremendous energy as both Gozaburo and Illidan were powering up their Millennium Items. Small bolts of electricity were pouring off of both as a golden aura showed around them.

Smirking, Gozaburo said "So Illidan, you're stronger than you were back then. I'm surprised."

Illidan only showed his ice cold eyes straight at Gozaburo. "_I won't let him hurt you Marie! I'll die protecting you before I let him harm you again!_"

Lightly chuckling, Gozaburo said "Interesting. You seem confident that you can defeat me Illidan. Very interesting."

Illidan simply replied with steel in his voice "Just can it Gozaburo. I don't care if you're the reincarnation or not of Gozaburo, but I won't let you harm Marie! She doesn't love you, and never has. She only loves me, and I love only her. If you dare try to harm her, I will destroy you."

Gozaburo continued to stare at Illidan as his aura continued to flare out. He then said "Ah, such a fiery will you have Illidan. But do you honestly think you can defeat me? You know that your pathetic Millennium Key doesn't have enough strength to combat my Millennium Crown, so you must realize you're at a major disadvantage. My Millennium Crown is several times stronger than your pathetic Millennium Key, so why bother to try and stand against me?"

Illidan only smirked, replying with "The reason is I can never let you harm anyone I care about, or the world for that matter. I'll never let you plunge this world into darkness. Sure, I may be no match for the Millennium Crown, but I was no match five millennia ago either, yet I stopped you then, and I'll stop you now. Sure, you could kill me, but someone else will take my place in stopping you."

Gozaburo only laughed evilly at this response and stopped powering up. The aura of the Millennium Crown dissipated as he turned to leave the room.

He only continued to laugh till he reached the door, where he turned to look at Illidan, saying "Till we meet again Illidan. I hope you realize you'll die at that duel!"

With that said, Gozaburo left Illidan's room, leaving a bewildered Illidan standing there with his power still flaring out. Slowly, Illidan let his power dissipate when he was sure everything was alright.

Standing there, Illidan looked at his Millennium Key, curious to when he became so strong. Earlier in the day, he had noticed his power was much greater when facing the spirit of the Millennium Ring. "_When did I get so strong? I never was this strong in ancient times. I must find out the answer to this question. Perhaps Marie can help me. Yes, I'll ask her later tonight, after our duel._"

Illidan then looked at the clock, realizing it was already 5:30 P.M.

Sighing, he said "I guess I'd better get ready."

After a quick shower, Illidan returned to the kitchen for some Ramen Noodles. Sitting there eating the beef flavored noodles, he couldn't help but think about how he somewhat resembled the character Inuyasha, who loved Ramen Noodles as well. "_At least I don't live off of these like he does._" he mused to himself.

After eating, he quickly checked his deck, making sure he had all his cards still there. Then Illidan grabbed his Duel Disk and deck and headed out the door. He slowly walked down the hall towards Marie's room. He knocked on the door only once and she answered him. Quickly grabbing a quick kiss from her, the two then headed towards the elevator while holding hands.

Once there, Illidan saw Seto and Noa was there. Seto said in a sarcastic voice "Ah, how cute. The geeks are showing love for each other. I only hope you're prepared to lose your titles."

Smirking, Illidan replied "Nice comment as usual Seto. Marie, just ignore him."

Marie only smiled at Illidan for his comment. Even Noa cracked a smile, but Seto growled at his step brother for it.

The judge finally showed up after another minute and the five entered the elevator. Within seconds they were at the top to see a beautiful evening coming about with a wonderful sunset in the background.

The judge made his usual comments, saying the Tag Team Titles were on the line, and for the four to shake hands and to shuffle their decks. Once that was done, he said for them to report to their positions.

Each followed their instructions and finally made it to their designated spots.

Once there, the judge said "The champions have the choice of which team goes first."

After discussing it, Marie and Illidan let Seto and Noa go first. Seto of course would take the first turn, followed by Marie, then Noa, then Illidan.

"Now activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters, then draw your first five cards and begin." ordered the judge.

All four complied and fired their holo projectors, and then their Duel Disks unfolded and powered up.

Seto smirked, saying "Prepare to meet your end at the hands of my Kaiser Sea Horse (1700/1650)!" The large blue and purple sea horse warrior with a lance then appeared beside of Seto.

Smiling, Marie said "Meet my Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000)!" Marie's large pink skinned angel with golden wings appeared beside of her.

Noa then slightly smirked, saying "Time for Shinato, the King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000) to come out!" A large blue skinned angel, much different from Marie's, then appeared beside Noa.

Illidan smiled and said "Alright Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500), come on out!" Illidan's large black armored soldier with his sword and shield then appeared right beside him.

Each then drew their first five cards and screamed in unison "Time to duel!"


	53. Chapter 53: Brothers vs Lovers, Pt 1

**Hello once again. Glad everyone liked the confrontation with Gozaburo. Obviously, there is no loss of love between Illidan and Gozaburo, and as for Illidan's weakness, well, it becomes more and more obvious throughout the story. Now, time to get some reviews answered.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yep, it'll be a heck of a fight, if he is the chosen one… Thanks for the comment about the action. I tried not to totally focus on the game itself, but to have some focus on events surrounding it. As for some new people dueling Illidan, there are only three days of dueling left, which means three people are left, which is Mai, Marie, and Yugi/Yami. Mai might not be trouble, or she could be, hehe, but the others as you know are tough. Just wait, for it'll be fun. As for adding EEN and EOJ cards in, well, I kind of wrote this story before them, lol. I mostly wrote this story during the early stages of the Seal series, although I practically had to force myself to finish, lol.**

**Anonymous: Nice name, lol. But anyways, his weakness is becoming apparent. It's his greatest strength, as well as his greatest weakness at the same time. As for eliminating Keith, I wish, but he makes up the ten duelists, so I couldn't, sadly… Poor Keith, this tournament is worse than Duelist Kingdom for him, lol. He lost his title, and not to mention every duel so far. Could it get worse? We'll see, hehe.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Thanks. Later on in the story, there is a bit of history on them, so then you'll see how they got together. Yes, deal with the spirit being gone, but don't eat too much chocolate. Lol, almost the same, but not quite. And thank you, lol.**

**Well, that's all I have today. Enjoy the tag team duel.**

**Chapter 53**

Seto drew and smirked, saying "I'll begin things with the magic card called Pot of Greed. Now I draw 2 new cards from my deck. Hmm, very nice. Now I summon Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in attack mode." A creature draped in an outfit that sort of looked like a dragon then appeared on the field.

"Next I play the magic card known as The Flute of Summoning Dragon, which allows me to special summon up to two dragons directly from my hand, so I choose 2 Blue-Eyes White Dragons (3000/2500), each in attack mode!" A golden dragon shaped flute then appeared above the dragon armor wearing mage. He grabbed hold of it and blew, causing two large white metallic dragons to appear. Each roared loudly as they spread their wings and stared down at the field.

Lightly laughing, Seto said "I hope you two weren't counting on winning, because I have one more thing to play. I play the magic card Reasoning, which allows whoever I choose to guess a monster level. Then I draw from my deck till I pick up a monster. All other cards are sent to the Graveyard. If the monster is the same level that that person guessed, then that monster is sent to the Graveyard, but if it isn't, I get to special summon it to the field. So, I'll have Marie choose the level of a monster."

Thinking for a moment, Marie finally responded by guessing level 4.

"A nice number to guess at for a monster Marie. We'll see if you were right though. I draw, and first I pick up my Ring of Destruction, meaning I must discard it. Next I draw Card of Demise. Next I draw Ring of Defense, which also goes. Ah, now I draw my 3rd Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) and summon it in attack mode!" A third white metallic dragon roared as it appeared on the field.

"Finally, I'll play the magic card Polymerization, allowing me to fuse my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons together to create the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/4200)!" The three dragons began to swirl together till an explosion happened. A new dragon then appeared that had three large heads, massive wings, and was white and metallic like the previous dragons. It's three heads then roared at Illidan and Marie, trying hard to instill fear.

Laughing manically, Seto said "See Noa, I don't need your help. Now, I end my turn. Do what you want Illidan and Marie, but you'll never win!" (Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000, Illidan 4000)

With a smirk, Marie said "Are you done now Seto?"

Seto glared at Marie for making that kind of comment and yelled "Who do you think you are? I am an elite duelist, a World Champion …"

"A former World Champion. Remember Seto, Illidan beat you." interrupted Marie.

Still growling, Seto looked at Marie with hateful eyes and said "Just make your move!"

Drawing, Marie said "Gladly. Well, well, what have we here? I play the magic card Fissure, which destroys the monster with the least attack points on your side of the field, so that means it's your Lord of Dragons." A hand then came up through the ground and grabbed the mage, making him scream in pain as he was squeezed till he exploded.

"Now I can use magic and trap cards on your dragon, and I know exactly what to play. I play the magic card De-Fusion. Now your mighty dragon is split into the monsters used to create it!" The three headed dragon then began to glow till it suddenly split apart and three large white metallic dragons reappeared.

With fire in his eyes, Seto spat "HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT MY DRAGON?"

Slightly smirking, Marie replied innocently "I'm not disrespecting it. I'm just simply taking it down. Now I'll summon Petit Angel (600/900) in attack mode." A small orange ball with little wings, a hallo, and small arms and feet then appeared on the field. It's small brown eyes seemed so full of happiness. The summoning of his monster made Illidan, Noa, and Seto all three give off a classic anime sweat drop.

Seto then began his usual arrogant laugh. Marie only smiled though. Suddenly Illidan realized what she was up to. "_If she does what I think she does, Seto will be having kittens in a second._"

Still smiling, Marie said "Now Seto, I play the magic card Creature Swap. This allows me to swap one monster on my field for one of yours, and since I only have one monster and you only have three of the same dragon, I get one of your dragons and you get my Petit Angel."

Seto stopped laughing immediately and began to fume, screaming "NO!"

Lightly giggling, Marie said "But it is true Seto."

Marie then crossed the field to Seto. Once there, she handed her Petit Angel card to Seto. Grudgingly, Seto handed one of his Blue-Eyes White Dragon's to Marie. Marie only smiled at Seto and walked back to her position. The two monsters on the field then switched sides, with the small orange angel moving to Seto's side of the field and the one large white metallic dragon moving to Marie's side.

Turning back to face him, she then said "Now that I have a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I play this magic card, Raigeki!" Suddenly, lightning struck the two remaining white dragons on Seto's side of the field and the small orange angel, which destroyed all three in a flash.

"NO!" screamed Seto.

Lightly giving off another innocent giggle, Marie said "Sorry Seto, but I had to. Now, I get my Petit Angel back into my Graveyard since it was my card. Next I play one last card, which is Monster Reborn! And I'll use it to bring back another Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" Suddenly then one of the dragon cards shot out of Seto's Graveyard and flew straight into Marie's hand, who then slapped the monster card onto her Duel Disk. The mighty white metallic dragon then rose, letting loose a roar at it's former master.

Smiling, Marie then said "I end my move. Too bad Seto, you had a great start." (Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000, Illidan 4000)

Growling loudly, Seto said "I'll make you pay Marie, I swear I will!"

"Quiet Seto, and let a true duelist show you how to duel." berated Noa.

Seto glared at his step brother, yelling "How dare you chide me you fool! I'm an elite duelist, a …"

"Blah, blah, blah Seto. You're everything, but nothing now. So can it, while I work my magic." taunted Noa.

Noa then drew and grinned, saying "I set two cards face down, and then set one monster in defense. That ends my turn." (Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000, Illidan 4000)

"Is that all you can do? You idiot!" screamed Seto. The two then continued to bicker, but all Marie and Illidan could do was laugh. Their opponents were great duelists on their own, but as a team, they just weren't too good.

Finally deciding to end this senseless bickering, Illidan drew. Looking at his hand, he saw he had Monster Reborn, Thunder Nyan Nyan, D.D. Warrior Lady, Call of the Haunted, Jinzo, and he'd just drawn Change of Heart. Slightly smiling, Illidan said "Alright, I'll start by playing Change of Heart, meaning I can take control of Noa's monster. Now, let's see what I got."

Noa took the card off of his Duel Disk and threw it to him. Catching it, Illidan glanced at it, seeing it was Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000).

Throwing the card back, Illidan said "I sacrifice your face down monster for Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode!" The powerful machine monster in green and black then appeared on the field. His eyes glowed red as usual, and he crossed his arms into his traditional stance.

"Next I play Monster Reborn, bringing back Seto's final Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) in attack mode!" Seto's Graveyard glowed once more as the final dragon shot out towards Illidan. Illidan caught the card like Marie had and then slapped it to his Duel Disk. This caused a large white metallic dragon to then appear. It roared towards Seto, which ticked Seto off even more.

"HOW DARE YOU ILLIDAN? I'LL DESTROY YOU FOR THIS!" spat an angry Seto.

Slightly chuckling, Illidan said "Right Seto, right. Now, I set one card face down, and end my turn. Your move Seto." (Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000, Illidan 4000)

Drawing, Seto growled slightly and said "I summon my Different Dimension Dragon (1200/1500) in defense mode." A white and light blue dragon with four wings for arms and a long tail then appeared. It was considerably weak by all standards.

"That ends my move." (Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000, Illidan 4000)

"Come on Seto, tell me you can do more." taunted Noa.

Seto glared at Noa for the comment, and was about to say something when Marie interrupted him.

"If you two are done arguing, I'll continue. Hmm, I'll set one card face down, and have Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack Seto's Different Dimension Dragon with White Lightning!" Roaring, the dragon let loose a powerful stream of energy straight at the weaker dragon, who was easily incinerated by the blast.

"Now I'll have my other Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack Seto directly with White Lightning!" The other white dragon then opened it's jaws and let a powerful stream of energy loose that struck Seto hard. The blast knocked him off his feet and backwards about five feet. Slowly, Seto struggled to get up, but was wisps of smoke were pouring off of him.

"That ends my turn. This isn't over yet Seto. I'd get ready to say good bye to your final 1000 life points when Illidan's turn comes around." (Seto 1000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000, Illidan 4000)

Noa began to draw, saying "It's my move…"

"Noa! You'd better have something good, because if I lose this duel due to you, you'll pay for it!" declared Seto.

Noa then stared at his step brother who had somehow gotten the words out of his mouth, but was still covered in wisps of smoke from the last attack.

Glaring at Noa, Seto said "Don't mess this up!"

Lightly chuckling, Noa replied "I wouldn't worry about me Seto. Now, I move my Deck Master, Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000) to the field." Slowly, the blue skinned angel then made his way to the field. Finally he appeared out in front of Noa, seemingly being a protective barrier for him.

"Next I set one monster on the field. Shinato, attack Illidan's pathetic Jinzo with Cosmic Halo!" Holding out his hands, the blue skinned angel made twelve spheres appeared. Suddenly, the spheres began to move in a circle that looked like a disc. The disc then went flying towards the cyborg monster, who was instantly sliced in half, causing a massive explosion.

"Thanks to Shinato's Deck Master ability, I gain the life points you lost. Now that that tin can is gone, I can activate this trap card known as, …"

Interrupting, Illidan said "I don't think so Noa!"

Scratching his head, Noa said "What?"

"I activate my face down card, Call of the Haunted, bringing back Jinzo (2400/1500)!" The cyborg then once again reappeared on the field, and crossed his arms.

"So, you brought that tin can back for another round. I'm sure Shinato would be glad to slice him in half again, but I'll have to decline for now. Now, I'll end my move." (Seto 1000, Marie 4000, Noa 4900, Illidan 3100)


	54. Chapter 54: Brothers vs Lovers, Pt 2

**Hey all. Glad I got some more reviews, as always. Time to answer some of them now.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yes, he's getting his butt kicked as always, lol. Seems like since he lost his world championship bout with Illidan, he's on a downhill slide. Could it be he's finally become a third rate duelist? 'Gasps at that thought of him being like what he describes Joey as.' Lol, I'm joking of course. Seto could turn things around, you never know.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Obviously, the brothers are no where near a good team. Good that you got over Bakura, but poor Ryou. 'Watches Ryou run away, screaming "Save me!"' "Keep running man!" Silly Ryou, hehe.**

**Well, that's all I have for reviews. I'll post again tomorrow and Friday of course, seeing how I'm putting five chapters out a week now. So, till then, enjoy this chapter. It's a short one, but a decent one.**

**Chapter 54**

Illidan looked at his deck and drew his card, saying with a smile "I'm not done yet, so check this card out! I play the magic card United We Stand! Now, I equip it to Jinzo, raising his stats by 800 per a face up monster on my side of the field. Since I have 2, he gains 1600 (4000/3100)!" The cyborg's body began to glow with a multicolored light, signifying he'd become much stronger.

"Next I summon my D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) to the field in attack mode." A female warrior in grey and black armor then appeared. She pulled her sword from her sheath and held her sword in an offensive stance.

"Thanks to my summoning of my monster, Jinzo gains another 800 points (4800/3900)." Once again, the cyborg glowed with a multicolored lightly, showing his strength improved again."

"Time to take you down Noa. Jinzo, attack Shinato with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg collected energy into a sphere in his hands and then threw the ball straight at the blue skinned angel.

As it neared, Noa cried out "No, not Shinato!"

As the blast was about to hit, Noa then smirked, saying "I activate Shinato's Deck Master effect! Reversal!" Suddenly, the blue skinned angel then disappeared off the field to finally reappear beside Noa.

Curious, Illidan asked "What is going on?"

Noa grinned, saying "It's really quite simple Illidan. I activated Shinato's final Deck Master effect, Reversal. It allows me to move Shinato out of danger and back to his Deck Master position. In exchange, Shinato can't ever return to the field, but I don't need him to win this duel. So, please continue."

Sighing, Illidan then smiled and said "Well Noa, I seemed to almost have you beaten, but that's alright. It's your partner who will suffer instead now. D.D. Warrior Lady, attack Seto directly with Dimension Sword Slash!" The female warrior quickly crossed the field and prepared to strike her target, which was Seto himself.

Just as the attack was about to hit, Noa called out "I activate the magic card called Card Guard! Now I must discard 1 card to defend Seto's life points!" A card then suddenly appeared in front of Seto, acting as a shield. The female warrior then struck the card, causing the image to shatter, which saved Seto.

Slightly smirking, Illidan said "Ah, so you two are finally working together. Good to see that, but I'm not finished. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Noa's monster with White Lightning!" The white metallic dragon roared and opened it's jaws, letting loose a stream of white energy straight at the small card image. The image was shattered and a female monster with orange-red hair appeared. She wore what looked like a violet colored top and skirt. When she disappeared, suddenly the white dragon put his arms up in a defensive like stance and pulled his wings in to protect itself.

Shocked by what his dragon was doing, Illidan asked "Why did Blue-Eyes go to defense mode?"

Noa laughed and replied "You attacked my Otohime (0/100). When flipped, she changes one monster's battle position, so I chose Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Understanding now, Illidan said "I see why now. You chose him so I couldn't attack you again. Nice move. I end my turn." (Seto 1000, Marie 4000, Noa 4900, Illidan 3100)

Drawing, Seto seemed to slightly grow and said "I set one monster in defense and end my turn." (Seto 1000, Marie 4000, Noa 4900, Illidan 3100)

"Come now Seto, tell me you had better than that. You were so worried that I'd hold you back, when in all actuality, you're the one holding me back. That's just rather pathetic." taunted Noa.

Seto began growling, but that's all he could really do. Noa was right about his point, and unless some miracle happened, would remain right.

Interrupting the brotherly love, Marie said "It's my move boys. I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards. Next I'll play the magic card known as Nobleman of Crossout on Seto's monster. This magic card allows me to remove from play whatever monster you had face down, and if it's a flip effect monster, we all must get rid of the same monster from our decks. Now, say good bye to whatever monster you had Seto!"

"NO!" cried out Seto as a young blonde headed knight in armor with a sword appeared on Marie's side of the field. He swung his sword in an X type pattern, causing a beam in the shape of an X to head straight for Seto's face down monster. The card image was struck and the monster was revealed to be Cyber Jar (900/900). With it's revealing, the monster exploded and disappeared.

"Now all of us must remove Cyber Jar from our decks. I have none, so no big deal to me." stated Marie.

Noa then confirmed he had none. Illidan searched his deck and then placed the card in the removed from play pile.

"It's time to finish you once and for all Seto. I summon Shining Friendship (1300/1100) to the field in attack mode." A small green ball like monster with blue eyes, golden wings, and small green arms and feet then appeared.

"Shining Friendship, finish off Seto with Friendship Head-Butt!" The small green fairy zoomed across the field and head butted Seto in the gut. Seto's life points then dropped to zero.

When they hit zero, Seto screamed "HOW COULD I LOSE TO HER?"

Seething with anger, Seto then quickly marched off the field, leaving everyone laughing at his outburst.

"He's rather grumpy today." commented Noa.

Marie giggled, saying "I'd say so Noa. Now, to finish this duel. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, direct attack Noa's life points with White Lightening!" The white dragon roared and released it's devastating stream of energy, which made Noa slide backwards, but he remained standing.

"My second Blue-Eyes, direct attack Noa with White Lightening to finish the duel." The second dragon roared and released it's powerful attack, which again knocked Noa backwards, but he remained standing still. His Duel Disk then powered down, showing the duel was over.

The judge then proclaimed Illidan and Marie the winners. Marie then walked over to Noa, saying "Good duel Noa."

Nodding, Noa replied "Good duel. You two dueled great out there."

Marie slightly blushed at the comment, replying with "You did pretty good yourself."

Lightly chuckling, Noa said "Funny. Me and Seto just couldn't get along. Without teamwork, we just couldn't win."

Illidan nodded and then offered his hand, saying "Good duel though. At least you tried to work with him."

Smiling, Noa replied "Thanks Illidan."

The three then celebrated with the others in the stands as they all usually did.

Elsewhere in the tower though, Gozaburo smiled, saying "I see he won again. I'll just have to make sure he loses tomorrow, muwhahaha!"


	55. Chapter 55: A Dark Confrontation

**Hey guys. Yay, more reviews! Lol, I'm silly. Could be due to the empty stomach, lack of sleep, or a combo of those things, hehe. Anyways, onto the reviews!**

**Brianna Ishtar: Good question. Probably not till he loses to him, lol, if that happens at all. Poor Bakura, no more love for him. "Run Ryou, run!" 'Watches him run for his life with Brianna in hot pursuit.'**

**Divine Weapon: I thought about it, but since him and Noa were so out of sync, I thought I'd let it go this time. And yes, poor Illidan…**

**Isis the Sphinx: He's hardly won much since his loss to Illidan. Lol, possibly like his continuous losses to Yugi, or Yami I should say. As for him not teasing Joey, doubtful. Lol, he'd tease him till the end of time if he could. Yes, a fun quote from that chapter btw. My fiancé, the real life Marie, loved it when I had her take out Seto. Noa was all friendly about it, which isn't too unreasonable. There is a possibility of Gozaburo using the Pharaoh to take out Illidan. After all, there are still three people left to face Illidan, and Yami happens to be one of them.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Oh well, it's alright. I'll respond to your last post this time also, lol. About Illidan meeting the GX crew, that's something I've been thinking about, and decided to maybe work on for a second sequel, which would come after The Wolves Seal, which is the sequel to this story. Only problem is, how much time passes between the two shows. Anwyas, as for your other review, yes, Seto got his ass handed to him and then some. Yep, Gozaburo has something cooking in his mind, and you'll find out today.**

**Ok, big question for anyone who might know. How much time passes between the end of the Yugioh series and the start of GX? That question is killing me, and I've yet to find an answer. It's kind of necessary for the sequel I'm going to be writing after The Wolves Seal. If anyone has a clue, please, let me know, and I'll eternally be thankful.**

**Without further ado though, here is the next chapter. I'll post again tomorrow, so till then.**

**Chapter 55**

After the tag team duel, Yugi asked all of the Millennium Item holders to meet him back at his room at 9:30. He told each he had something important to talk to them about. Once the night had died down at last, all five snuck in to meet in Yugi's room. After everyone was accounted for in the room, Yugi transformed into Yami.

In a serious tone, Yami said "I'm glad you all could come. I have something of great importance for us to discuss." All stared at Yami, pondering what he would want to discuss.

"Earlier this evening, I felt a terrible power being released within the tower. I believe it was Gozaburo's Millennium Crown. I'm sure all of you felt it as well, but what intrigues me is the fact another power was there, one that seemed as strong. I'm almost sure that the two powers were coming from your room Illidan. Tell us, was it you and Gozaburo making those strong energies we sensed?"

Illidan only honestly nodded, saying "Yes, it was me and him, Yami."

Nodding, Yami asked "What was happening? Why was Gozaburo there to see you, and more importantly, why were both of you putting on that display of power?"

Illidan turned to look out the window and let out a sigh. He didn't want to involve or endanger the others, but he knew they deserved answers. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see it was Marie. She was looking at him with curious eyes.

"Illidan?" she calmly said, as if saying tell us what happened.

Sighing again, he turned to face the entire group, and in a calm voice, said "Gozaburo confronted me today after our duels were all over. He knows now that I'm the true reincarnation of Illidan from ancient Egypt. He had guessed I was the reincarnation even before the tournament. He had no real evidence to confirm that I was though till he saw my Millennium Key. He now knows who I truly am, and said he was there for me to ask him a few questions."

Pausing when he saw the curiosity on everyone's faces, Illidan then continued, saying "I asked him if he was the true reincarnation of Gozaburo Tark, the one that once wielded the Millennium Crown in ancient times. He told me no, saying that he had the past Gozaburo's memories due to the Millennium Crown, but that he was not the reincarnation of the Gozaburo from ancient times. At least he believes he's not."

Yami interrupted him, saying "But you don't believe so?"

Turning to Yami, Illidan nodded, responding with "No, I don't Yami. He's too much like the past version of himself to not be a reincarnation. Like the past version, he loves power, and again like his past version, he's obsessed with the Millennium Crown's power. I do honestly think he's the true reincarnation of Gozaburo of the past. It could be the only explanation to why..."

Curious, Marik asked "Why what?"

Sighing, Illidan looked away. He didn't wish for Marie to know what he was going to say. Illidan knew deep down that he had to tell them all what Gozaburo had said, but still, in his heart, he feared for Marie. If Gozaburo got past him, all would be lost for her.

Sighing once again, he turned back towards the others, saying "It would explain why he's still so obsessed with Marie. He knows that Marie is here as well, and that is what makes me think he's truly the reincarnation of Gozaburo. He's still deeply in love with her in his own twisted way. He said if he can't have her, no one can."

Marie was shocked by what she'd heard. Illidan could tell by the worried look on her face that she could almost break down and cry. To be truthful, Illidan deep down was more worried that he wouldn't be able to protect her.

Walking to her, he gently held her closer to him and said softly in her ear "Don't worry Marie; I'll protect you."

Yami slowly said "Illidan, if he's after her like last time, then maybe she should drop out of the tournament. It's dangerous to put Marie in danger like this."

Sighing slightly, Illidan released Marie and then walked over to Yami, saying "I agree. Marie, you should leave the island as soon as possible."

Marie was furious at this, partially at what Illidan had said due to their past, plus what he was now suggesting. She protested, saying "No, you can't do that! I'll be fine here. After all, I can protect myself, **remember**!"

The last word was left with a tint of anger from her, making Illidan remember the many fights he had with her when they were first together in ancient times. Back then, she had always argued she could protect herself, and to an extent, she could, but Illidan still watched out for her, making sure she was never hurt.

He stared at her with sad eyes and took her hands up in his own, saying "Marie, you have to go. As long as you're here, Gozaburo will be watching and waiting for the right moment to take you away. He's determined to make you his at any cost, and if you refuse, he'll try to kill you again. I pledge you my life to stop him and to always protect you, but I don't know if I'm even strong enough to stop him. If I knew you were safe, I could at least be less worried when I fight him."

Everyone stared at Illidan in surprise at his words. They had always seen the tough side of Illidan, the side that let nothing bother him ever, but now he was showing his soft side, the side that cared about Marie deeply and openly.

Staring at him, Marie soon realized he had tears in the corners of his eyes. This was the first time she had seen tears in his eyes since ancient times.

Seeing them, Marie softly said "Illidan …"

He placed a finger on her mouth and said "Marie, please leave the island. I don't want you to, but with Gozaburo as strong as he is, it will take all I have and then some to stop him. If he goes after you, I don't know if I'll be able to stop him. He's so fixed on you that he'll do anything to capture you and your love. I just don't want to possibly lose you again like I nearly did five millennia ago. That day… in itself was horrible enough, but to possibly relive it again and possibly lose you again, I won't let it happen if I can stop it."

Sighing, Marie laid her head on Illidan's chest and said "If it would make you feel better, I'll try to leave the island."

In a sad voice, Illidan replied "Yes, it would Marie. I don't mean to make you go, but you're not safe here. He intends to try and capture you, and to try to force you to love him. If you were captured, I don't know what I'd do. I promise though that I'll protect you till you can get off the island."

Suddenly, the door to Yugi's room was flung open to reveal Gozaburo. Gozaburo slowly walked towards the group and smirked, saying "I never said you could leave yet Marie."

All the item holders placed a hand on their items, holding them close and preparing for a real fight.

Laughing evilly, Gozaburo said "Please, don't even waste my time. None of you have the power to stop me. Even combined, all of you aren't strong enough to face me. Although, there is one that does concern me. You see, Illidan showed me today that he has new strengths as compared to ancient times. That is something that intrigues me."

The group was shocked by this statement. Yami turned to Illidan and asked "What does he mean?"

Illidan turned loose of Marie's hand and gathered himself up. He then moved to the front of the group, seemingly putting himself in the way. He then replied, saying "He means I've gotten stronger since five millennia ago, and he's right, I have. My item's power has increased greatly since the days of old. More than likely, it maybe just by chance, or that Shadi carried it for so long, or that my spirit became stronger while waiting for my reincarnation. Really, I'm not sure how I got stronger either, but I intend to use this new strength to defeat Gozaburo!"

Gozaburo smirked and slowly began to power up his Millennium Crown. The evil within the crown slowly began to resonate within the room.

Shocked, Yami exclaimed "I don't believe it! It's so strong. We have to stand together to beat him!"

Illidan only made a motion for Yami to stay back though. "No, stay back Yami. He's mine."

Slowly walking forward, Illidan stopped about five feet from Gozaburo and began to power up his Millennium Key. Power began to flare out of Illidan, making his body slightly glow golden. Illidan was building up his power, which matched Gozaburo's Millennium Crown perfectly. Both Illidan and Gozaburo's power was tremendous. They had each surpassed all of the other item holder's powers by leaps and bounds.

Gozaburo seemed frustrated at this fact and sent a mental blast of Shadow Magic at Illidan. Illidan placed his palm out and easily deflected the blast. Gozaburo growled at this and continued to increase his energy, which prompted Illidan to follow suit.

Angry that Illidan was still growing in strength, Gozaburo began lashing out at Illidan with mental waves of energy. Illidan only continued to block each blast coming at him, making Gozaburo that much more furious.

Finally, at long last, Illidan reached his power limit. Realizing it, Gozaburo began to laugh evilly, saying "Is that all you have Illidan?"

Seeing and hearing no response, Gozaburo then lashed out with yet another powerful mental wave. This one was stronger than Illidan had anticipated. The wave pushed him backwards, nearly making him topple over. Still, Illidan stood his ground and continued to block the path to the others.

Furious that Illidan continued to protect the others, Gozaburo said "I'll knock you out of the way yet!"

Once again, Gozaburo threw a powerful mental wave of energy at Illidan. Again, Illidan was knocked back by the wave, which caused him to scream from the intense pain of the wave. Still, he stood his ground, making sure he was in front of the others. He glared at Gozaburo with eyes of determination that said he wasn't moving anywhere.

Growling, Gozaburo said "Let's see you stop these then!"

Five mental waves then fired from the Millennium Crown. Each wave hit Illidan hard, knocking him down to his knees. Illidan sat there panting for a moment, but slowly got up and once again stood in the way of Gozaburo.

Thoroughly frustrated, Gozaburo fired another flurry of energy waves that belted Illidan. Once again, he was knocked to his knees, where he sat panting hard. Finally, he stood again, showing his resolve to protect his friends, no matter the cost. "_You can destroy my body, but you'll never destroy my desire to protect my friends!_" was the only thoughts coming from Illidan's mind.

Smirking at this action, Gozaburo powered down the Millennium Crown, saying "That should do it for now. I don't want you dead yet, now do I, Illidan? I'll kill you and the rest of you when I'm good and ready. Of course, Marie, you'll be spared, but if you don't join me, I'll destroy you too. Oh yeah, just so you know, nobody will be leaving this island. Attempt to, and I'll personally stop you and make sure you never move again."

Then Gozaburo laughed evilly and turned to leave the room. He left, letting his evil laughter continue down the halls.


	56. Chapter 56: Vigil of Love

**Hello once again. I'm glad everyone liked my last chapter. Well, onto the reviews for now.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Yeah, he's a jerk, and thanks for the comment about the chapter. 'Watches poor Ryou running for his life.' Run man, run! Man, he's lucky, all the women want him, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, yes, poor everyone. Illidan took a beating, and Marie found out a psychopath, nut job loves her like a certain psychopath, nut job did in the past. And about Ryou, just cover your eyes, or go free him, lol.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, his powers are really showing through now. It's possible that there is a spirit, or it's possible it's just the memories of the crown's former owner. Hehe, you'll find out in time. I know, that's a really nice smartass answer. Thanks for the comment about this getting complex. I wanted it to have many twists and turns, so I thought why not. And yeah, it's more dramatic.**

**Alright, quick question to you all, which I asked yesterday, but will ask again today, lol. I was wondering if anyone knew how much time has supposedly passed between the end of the Yugioh series and the beginning of Yugioh GX. I've searched high and low, and have yet to find that answer, so if anyone has any clue, or could point me in the right direction, feel free to tell me.**

**Also, good news has arrived as well. My fiancé, real life Marie (her real name isn't Marie. Lol, it's just her middle one) has begun work finally on her story that goes along with this story. Her piece is about the lives of Illidan and Marie in the past. So, if anyone is interested in reading up on their pasts, check my profile and find where I mentioned her. In it you'll find a link to Cartoon Protector, which is her account. It should be up Saturday night, hopefully. This is of course if she finishes up some of it, hehe. She's been working on it for quite a while. Actually, she was working on it while I was writing this very story, but I finished first. It is shorter by far, but I managed to beat her, lol. I even finished my sequel too, hehe. Now, if only I can finish my other story before she completely finishes. Anyways, check out her story this weekend. I believe it's going to be called The History of the Millennium Items. It gives you a better look into the lives of the two at the least.**

**Well, that's all for now. I'll post again Sunday, so till then, enjoy the chapter. Again, thanks for the reviews guys, and anyone else who reads, feel free to review. I enjoy feedback, good or bad, so let me know how you feel about this story. Thanks again people, and enjoy.**

**Chapter 56**

After Gozaburo left, Illidan's eyes went blank as he fell forward into the floor. He was completely unconscious. Marie, Yami, Bakura, and Marik all four quickly picked Illidan up and took him to his room and set him down on his bed. Marie quickly grabbed a wash cloth from his bathroom and wet it. She then placed it on Illidan's forehead. All four stood there, unsure of what to do for Illidan now.

Suddenly, Marie remembered something about Bakura's Millennium Ring and said "Bakura, quickly use your Millennium Ring's healing power on Illidan."

Puzzled, Bakura answered her with "I have no idea what you are talking about Marie. My ring has never ever had that kind of power, or at least never been shown to me."

Shocked, Marie thought for a moment and came up with an idea. Grabbing Bakura's hand, she said "I'll show you how to use its power then."

She then activated her Millennium Necklace, taking Bakura back into the past with her. Marie slowly took them back to ancient Egypt, to where the spirit of the Millennium Ring once lived. There in a village stood the spirit of the Millennium Ring, except as his past good self. The past spirit was shown walking through the village when he saw a child that had just broke his leg. Walking over, the spirit asked for the people to clear and he then got down on his knees and put his hands up to his Millennium Ring. Power began to slightly flare out and little by little, the child's leg was healed. Finally, the child's leg was completely healed. The kid then stood up and thanked the spirit and ran off to play with the other kids of the village.

Bakura had closely watched how the spirit used the Millennium Ring and once he understood, he nodded to Marie. She then ended the vision to return them to the present. Bakura then walked over to Illidan and sat down next to the bed. He held his hands up to his Millennium Ring, the same way he had seen the spirit of the Millennium Ring in the vision. The ring began to softly glow as it's healing powers began to heal Illidan's internal and external wounds. One by one, they were healed till finally there were no bruises or wounds left on Illidan's body. Illidan was still unconscious though, but the others figured he just needed rest.

Yami then decided that they needed to leave, and that Bakura should check on Illidan every hour so that if Illidan needed more healing, he could receive it. Everyone but Marie then prepared to leave.

Yami turned to Marie, and asked "Are you coming?"

She shook her head and replied "I'm staying to watch over him. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Nodding, Yami then ushered the others out and left Marie alone with Illidan. It had been a long day, so all the others returned to their rooms for much needed sleep.

Marie pulled up a chair to Illidan's bed and sat there staring at him. Silent tears slowly began streaming down her face, for Illidan had suffered once again like ancient times. He had protected everyone back in ancient times the same way. The realization of this made her think back to that horrible day in ancient times. The day that would forever be frozen in her mind as the worst day in Egypt's history.

It was the day the Millennium Crown was fully completed. That morning, Gozaburo had approached her as he always done about his feelings for her. As usual, she sighed at this.

"Marie, don't you see how deeply I love you? I would do anything for you, so please, tell me you love me and let us be together." spouted Gozaburo.

Looking at him with a serious look, she replied "Gozaburo, for the millionth time, I'm already married! I will never leave Illidan, for he is the only one I truly love with all my heart and soul. Please, just stop asking me this! I would like to remain friends with you still yet, but I don't love you. Illidan is the only one my heart yearns for, not you. I'm sorry, but you'll have to accept it."

Gozaburo grumbled and slowly walked off, seemingly slightly depressed at Marie's declaration that he was nothing more than a friend to her. Looking back now, Marie realized this may have what been the final push Gozaburo needed to lose his sanity.

Later on in the day, within the underground shop where the Millennium Items were constructed, the entire Shadow Court was gathered. The court was made up of eight, and consisted of Yami, Illidan, Set, Bakura, Pegasus, Shadi, Gozaburo, and Marie. She remembered how each had different positions within the court.

Yami of course was their pharaoh and leader. Illidan was granted title of the Royal Seal Master of Egypt. In essence, he was in charge of sealing away monsters and placing strong seals and so on, on things that threatened Egypt. Set was the High Priest of Egypt, who's job was to test the people for Shadow Powers, but due that the Shadow Powers were put into the Millennium Items, his job was not as busy as it once was. Bakura was the general of the armies of Egypt, but was also the best healer in Egypt. Pegasus was a teacher of Shadow Powers, but as well was a consular for Yami. Shadi was one of the High Judges of Egypt, for his item allowed him to judge people's souls for the evil and good in them. He also was keeper of the scrolls, which allowed him to constantly recopy scrolls from the past. Gozaburo was the Royal Blacksmith of Egypt who was in charge of creating the Millennium Items. Finally, Marie was an advisor for Yami, but as well was a strong healer and wise teacher.

Marie smirked in her mind as she remembered her humble beginnings. "_Not bad for a little slave girl._" she thought silently.

Back in the shop, Gozaburo was finishing a small inscription on the crown as instructed by Yami. Illidan had been commissioned a few days before to fully seal the crown, but unfortunately, Illidan was only able to seal away it's greatest amount of energy. It had taken a good bit of his energy to do just that, but at the least it was prepared for being put away, forever.

Gozaburo finished putting inscription and wiped the sweet off his brow. The others were looking on, happy that this business of creating items was about to end. Gozaburo looked back at them, but mostly at Marie. Marie refused to look away as always, for since she no longer was a slave, she had every right to glare at him.

Something seemed wrong with the look he gave her though. A glint of evil seemed to be in his eyes, but she wasn't sure what it meant. Then without a slight bit of hesitation, Gozaburo grabbed the Millennium Crown and placed it on his head. The others all screamed for him to take it off. It was mostly Illidan and Yami that were trying to reason with him. Even Pegasus, Bakura, Seto, Shadi, and even Marie tried to talk to Gozaburo, telling him that the crown was far too dangerous.

All seven failed to reason with Gozaburo in the end. Anger was on his face as Gozaburo lashed out at Yami with a mental wave, knocking Yami across the room and into the wall hard. Gozaburo then mentally knocked the others back away as well, but didn't hit them all as hard as he had Yami. He then started walking towards Yami with intentions on ending the pharaoh. Marie quickly stood back up and ran in front of him, trying to make him stop.

"Please, stop! I won't let you harm my brother! Please, just stop before we have to make you stop." she said with signs of tears ready to fall.

Gozaburo lightly grunted and responded with a small mental wave that knocked her aside. He then slowly proceeded towards Yami to only be cut off by Illidan.

Illidan stood there with his arms stretched out, yelling "Stop this now Gozaburo! Don't make me do this."

Gozaburo only laughed at this and lashed out with a mental wave, knocking Illidan off his feet. Gozaburo then continued to walk towards Yami when Illidan quickly moved back in front of him.

Illidan's Millennium Key was glowing, showing he wasn't done yet. "I won't allow you to harm him. Please, don't make me do this. We are friends Gozaburo. I don't want to hurt you, but I'll not allow you to harm anyone here. Please, I'm begging you, stop this madness before we have to hurt you."

Gozaburo only laughed again, but this time with evil in his voice. Then he smacked Illidan with another wave of energy that sent Illidan back off his feet, but he was quick to recover again and blocked the path once more. Illidan tried sending out a wave of his own power, but the attack was easily blocked, causing Gozaburo to return fire with yet another mental wave. Again and again, Gozaburo smacked Illidan with mental waves, but time after time, Illidan got up to defend Yami. Finally bored, Gozaburo hit Illidan with a more powerful wave that sent Illidan flying across the room and into a wall. This time, Illidan didn't get up, for he had been knocked unconscious by the impact.

With no one to stop him, Gozaburo then made his way towards Yami. Marie tried again to stop him, but Gozaburo only knocked her away with small gentle mental waves. Once arriving at Yami, he said "You shall pay for all you've done to me, pharaoh."

Confused, Yami was about to speak, but was cut off by a powerful mental wave that struck him. Gozaburo hit Yami with about five more powerful waves and finally left Yami. Yami laid there bleeding profusely, already leaving a pool of blood on the floor.

Pegasus and Bakura finally got back on their feet from the initial knock down and charged Gozaburo. He easily saw them coming and knocked both away, even managing to hit them with mental waves before they hit the ground. Once on the ground, Gozaburo pummeled Pegasus with two waves, causing Pegasus to clutch his face. Blood was seen coming from it as he cried out in agony.

Set soon ran in, swinging wildly at Gozaburo with his Millennium Rod. He pulled out the small sword that was hidden with in it even, trying hard to make contact with Gozaburo, but never could make any contact. Finally bored, Gozaburo sent out mental wave that ripped Set's right arm off, making him scream in pain as he dropped to the floor with blood pouring from his wound.

Shadi came in wielding a sword he had, but the sword was simply batted away by Gozaburo, who then knocked Shadi hard into a wall. Shadi fell to the ground hard from the impact and remained laying there as a small trickle of blood ran from the back of his head.

That only left Marie to fend for herself. She slowly walked up to Gozaburo, saying "Please, stop! You know I refuse to send people to the Shadow Realm, even ones that deserve it! I'm begging you, stop this now."

Gozaburo turned towards her, with what looked like softness in his eyes returning. He asked "Do you love me Marie?"

She was shocked at the question, but answered with a simple no. Gozaburo lowered his head then, saying "Then I'm sorry for this Marie."

Tears in her eyes still, she said "I won't kill you Gozaburo, but I won't let you hurt them either."

She then let her power flare out and pushed him backwards with all her might. It knocked Gozaburo to the ground, but it seemed too easy. She realized then she needed to make sure the others were alright. She was especially worried about Illidan and Yami, but she knew Yami was the worst off. Slowly, she walked towards him when suddenly she felt a dagger go into her back. She screamed out Illidan's name as she was in pain, which awakened Illidan.

Looking up, he saw that Marie had been stabbed in the back by Gozaburo. He called out her name as he attempted to get up. Gozaburo then pulled the dagger out and let Marie fall to the ground.

He stared at her with cold eyes and said "I loved you with all my heart Marie. Now, no one can take you from me again."

Gozaburo then began to laugh with insanity in his voice. Slowly, Marie was losing consciousness, but felt Illidan move to her side. He checked to make sure she'd be alright, and after he was certain, he whispered to her that she'd be fine. With that knowledge being the last thing on her mind, she slipped into unconsciousness.

When she had awoken again, they were all in the royal infirmary. All six were being treated for their wounds. She noticed a sheet covering Yami, making her realize her worst fears for the man that made her his sister. She then looked over, seeing Illidan beside her, with tears flowing from his eyes. They had survived the nightmare, but had lost a good friend in the process, as well as many other things.

Marie then awakened from her memories. That was then, and this was now. Illidan had once again put himself in danger to protect the others. He could have let them fight it out, but he chose to protect them instead. She let tears to continue flowing down her face, letting them drop on top of Illidan's face.

Throughout the night, she watched over Illidan. Every hour or so, Bakura would come in to check on Illidan. At last at nearly 4:00 A.M., Illidan regained consciousness. He felt something wet falling on his face. He slightly opened one eye to see that it was Marie sitting there, crying for him.

In a voice as gentle as possible, he said "Please don't cry my sweet angel."

Marie realized immediately that he was conscious one more. He kissed his forehead, knowing all would be alright now.

Illidan slowly tried to sit up, but felt sore. With Marie's help, he finally sat up and asked "What happened?"

"After Gozaburo left, you collapsed. You slipped into an unconscious state. You've been that way since 11. Bakura healed you a few minutes after we got you into your room, but you never regained consciousness."

She then wrapped her arms around him, being careful to not squeeze too hard, saying "I'm just so glad you're alright."

She then gave him a gentle kiss and finally broke away, saying "You shouldn't have done that Illidan. What were you trying to prove?"

Sighing, he replied "Marie, I was trying to protect you all. That and I wanted to see how much stronger I was. I had hopes that maybe I'd gained enough strength to finally combat the Millennium Crown, but obviously, I don't have that kind of power still. Still, it's odd how I got stronger than before. I still don't understand how I got this strong."

Marie grabbed Illidan's hands within her own and said "Please, don't ever leave me like that again. I was worried that the same thing that happened in the past had happened again tonight. You almost gave your life away then, and would have done the same tonight. I don't know what I'd do if you were to leave me alone."

Smiling, Illidan shook his head and said "Nah, Gozaburo wanted to just see to what lengths I'd go to in protecting you all. He wouldn't have killed me. He needs me to face him in this tournament. Plus, he wanted to display that he was still the strongest. That was all. I won't ever leave you again Marie, as long as I can help it."

He then looked into her gorgeous brown eyes. Ever since he'd stared into those eyes five millennia ago, he'd been captured by them. Her beautiful face, with her nice mid back length brown hair and wonderful figure showed through the moonlight. She looked so much like an angel to him.

"I promise to never leave you Marie. I won't leave as long as I can help it." he finally said.

She sighed and hugged him again and gave him a chiding kiss. She then stood up, saying "I need to go to bed. I'll be no good tomorrow if I don't get some sleep. I'll see you then. I love you."

Smiling, he replied "I love you too Marie."

He pulled her in for one more kiss. This one was a deep, passionate one. At long last, he broke away, each coming up for air. She then smiled and walked out of his room. Slowly, Illidan set his alarm clock and went back to sleep, dreaming of the woman he loved.


	57. Chapter 57: Amazons and Tigers, Pt 1

**Hello once again my friends. Everyone seemed to really like the last two chapters. I'm glad that you all did. I know, some of it was a bit mushy, but from time to time, I like writing mushy stuff, lol. Well, now to answer some reviews.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Sweat drops. Run Ryou! Watches as Ryou runs for his life, like a deer running from a pack of wolves.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, you figured out his weakness. It's his greatest strength, yet his greatest weakness at the same time. I kind of related that to rl love in a way. My greatest strength is probably my love for my fiancé, yet at the same time, it's my biggest weakness. You're strong, but weak. Still, I have a positive outlook on it at the least. Yes, Gozaburo is a hentai, lol. He probably has a wall of pictures of Marie that he worships… maybe, lol.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Most of the items didn't have any kind of powers like that, which is why I kept the crown in relation to them. Pegasus had the power of seeing into people's thoughts and Marik had the power to control people's mind. The other items did have powers, mostly dealing with about the same kind of mind stuff. I only gave the ring the power to heal in my story though, just for extra kicks, lol. As for the power to bring monsters to life, all the items have that ability I believe. The spirit of the Millennium Ring appeared to have that ability, so I'm willing to bet all of them have that power. Lol, as for fiancé falling in love with me, it took time. I'm very lucky to have her though. She's the first girl I dated, and I was her first boyfriend. We've been many a firsts for one another, so I'm happy, and wouldn't change a thing about it. Don't worry, you'll find someone too, I'm sure of it. There is always someone out there for everyone.**

**Now, for some new news pertaining to my story. Well, it sort of pertains to it, lol. Anyways, my fiancé, Cindy, aka the one I call rl Marie, has finally gotten a few chapters of her companion piece that goes to my story. It is called The History of the Millennium Items. Here is a link to her story: ****Cartoon-Protector**** I like it so far, and it tells the tale of Illidan and Marie's past lives. You see in it things that you may not find entirely within my story. So, if you're interested in their past lives, I'd suggest reading it. There is little dueling, well, actually, nearly none. It's mostly just a story. If this link don't work, which it should work (I hope), then go to my profile, and go to the link I have for Cartoon-Protector. That is my fiancé's fan fic account name. Her other story is quite interesting as well, but don't have a thing to do with my story, lol. It's a good one though. Anyways, I thought I'd throw that out for everyone. And feel free to leave any kind of feedback for her. Like me, she loves it when she gets some kind of reaction, good or bad.**

**That's all I have for now. I'll post again Tuesday, so till then, enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 57**

The alarm was buzzing like crazy, which rather annoyed Illidan. Finally, he reached over and shut it off. Slowly, he sat up and stretched out. Once sure he could stand, Illidan then headed for his shower. After finishing, he put his favorite white t-shirt and blue jeans.

Looking in the mirror, Illidan stared at the young man staring back at him. His mid back length brown hair, with dark brown eyes, and an average figure looked back at him. Sighing, Illidan pondered what Marie ever saw in him due that his looks were probably not the best.

He then turned and continued getting ready for the long day ahead. He grabbed a couple of pop tarts as usual for breakfast, and had his glass of orange juice. After breakfast, he sat down and examined his deck. All his cards were still there and seemed to work perfectly as ever. Finally, he stuck the deck back in it's holder.

Illidan then grabbed his Duel Disk and examined it, making sure it was ready to go. He was about to go to the elevator when he remembered he'd forgotten to see who he was to duel that day.

"Silly me, I'd forget my head sometimes if it wasn't attached." proclaimed Illidan to the air.

He turned back into his room and sat down at the computer. Quickly, he found out that his duel would be against Mai Valentine for both his Intercontinental and World Championships.

Smiling at the fact that this would be a nice, fun duel for once, he said "Well, now I'm ready to go."

Quickly picking up his Duel Disk again, he strapped it on his arm and ran for the elevator. There the judge and Mai waited.

Mai looked at Illidan with a smile and tauntingly said "You're a little late Illidan. Having second thoughts?"

Illidan gave a soft laugh at Mai's teasing and replied "Nah, I'm just forgetful as usual. Can't help it if my mind continues to wonder on it's own."

The judge then herded the two into the elevator and the three of them went to the top of the tower. Once there, they walked towards the central ring. There, the judge made his usual comments, stating what the duel was over. Also, he asked Illidan who he wanted to go first.

Thinking for a moment, Illidan replied "I'll go second. Mai can go first."

Nodding, the judge said "Very well. Mai Valentine will go first then. Now, shake hands and shuffle each others decks."

As they shook hands, Mai said "This will be fun Illidan."

Smiling back at Mai, Illidan replied "It sure will be Mai. Have fun and good luck."

Winking at Illidan, she replied "You too."

They each then handed their decks to one another. Both shuffled till satisfied and returned the decks to their owners. The judge then instructed both to go to their positions. Once there, he asked both to activate their Duel Disks, bring out their Deck Masters, draw their first five cards, and to finally start the duel.

Mai and Illidan both fired their holo projectors and then their Duel Disks unfolded and powered up.

Smiling lightly, Mai said "I bring forth my Deck Master, Amazoness Paladin (1700/300)." An Amazon dressed in a cloak with a skirt and a sword in front of her appeared beside of Mai.

Smiling back, Illidan said "I call out my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The large soldier in black shiny armor with a sword and shield appeared beside him.

Both then drew their cards and yelled "LET'S DUEL!"

Drawing her first card, Mai said "Alright Illidan, don't think that since you're the champion I'll go easy on you. I'll start the duel by summoning my Amazoness Fighter (1500/1300) to the field in attack mode." A female warrior, that looked like an Amazon as well, then appeared on the field. She was muscular and had a teal like top with a teal loincloth. Her wild hair made her look that much more powerful.

"Next my Deck Master's ability kicks in. Amazoness Fighter now gains 300 attack and defense points (1800/1600)." The cloaked woman slightly glowed as the female fighter glowed as well, signifying her power boost.

"Now I set one card face down. That ends my turn." (Mai 8000, Illidan 8000)

Illidan then drew, and looked at his hand to see he had D.D. Warrior Lady, United We Stand, Beta the Magnet Warrior, Scapegoat, Jinzo, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior which he'd just drawn.

Slightly smiling, he said "I'll start this duel out by summoning my D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in attack mode." A female warrior appeared on the field in gray armor. She then drew her sword, showing she was ready for a fight.

"Next I'll equip her with the magic card, United We Stand. This grants her an additional 800 points per a face up monster on my side of the field (2300/2400)." The warrior then glowed as a multicolored light surrounded her.

"D.D. Warrior Lady, attack Mai's Amazoness Fighter with Dimension Blade Slash!" The female warrior then flew across the field and slashed the weaker Amazon across the chest, making her cry out in pain as she was destroyed.

Mai only smirked at this and said "Of course Illidan, you know thanks to my Amazoness Fighter's special ability, I lose no life points."

Smiling, Illidan replied with "But of course since I just recently dueled you. Of course, you should remember what my Deck Master's special ability can do as well. Now my D.D. Warrior Lady can attack again, so here I come. D.D. Warrior Lady, direct attack with Dimension Blade Slash!" Letting out a battle cry, the female warrior charged Mai, but was interrupted by a familiar Amazon's reappearance.

Mai smirked as she said "I use my Deck Master's ability. By giving up 500 life points, I can bring back one Amazoness monster. So, I choose my Amazoness Fighter."

Sighing, Illidan replied "I figured as much. D.D. Warrior Lady, go ahead and destroy it with Dimension Sword Slash!" With one slash of her sword, the fighter was once again destroyed by the attack.

"Anyways, I'll set one card face down and end my turn." (Mai 7500, Illidan 8000)

Mai then drew and slightly grinned, saying "Not bad Illidan, but it's my turn to show you what I've got. I'll start by summoning the monster known as Amazoness Tiger (1100/1500) in attack mode." An orange tiger wit a golden collar then appeared on the field and let out a roar.

"Now my Amazoness Tiger's attack and defense is raised by 300 thanks to my Deck Master (1400/1800). Next my Amazoness Tiger's effect activates. For each Amazoness monster on the field, it gains 400 attack points (1800/1800), meaning it boosts it's own power. Next I use my Deck Master's special ability to revive Amazoness Fighter (1800/1600) in attack mode." Rising up once again, the female fighter took her place on the field.

"Thanks to that move, my Amazoness Tiger gains 400 more attack points (2200/1800)."

Slightly smirking, Illidan said "Still Mai, it's weaker than my monster."

Nodding, Mai replied "True Illidan, but I'm not done. I use this magic card on my Amazoness Tiger. The magic card called Amazoness Spellcaster! This magic card allows me to switch the attack points of one of my Amazoness monsters with the attack points of your monster, so I'll switch the attack points of Amazoness Fighter and D.D. Warrior Lady!" Suddenly, fighter glowed as did the female warrior. Slowly, the grey armored warrior lost strength as the female fighter gained more.

Illidan only smirked, as he knew what to do. "_That's right Mai, keep it up. Soon I'll take you down with my Scapegoat card._"

Mai then seemed to be staring at Illidan's face down card for a moment. Finally, she said "Amazoness Fighter, attack D.D. Warrior Lady with Amazoness Punch!" Letting loose a war cry, the fighter quickly ran across the field and leaped into the air. She was about to smash her fist into the grey armored warrior when suddenly four goat like creatures appeared on the field.

Slightly smirking, Illidan said "Sorry Mai, but that won't work. I reveal the magic card Scapegoat, allowing me to conjure up four Scapegoat Tokens (0/0) and place them on the field in defense mode. This also does something else, which is it lets me increase D.D. Warrior Lady's points by 3200 (5000/4800)! Now, counter attack her monster with Dimension Blade Slash!"

As the female warrior was about to strike the Amazon with her sword, Mai smirked and said "Not quite Illidan, for I knew you had something, so I prepared. I reveal my magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon! Now I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field, so I use it on your United We Stand card!" A whirlwind then suddenly appeared and smashed through the United We Stand card on Illidan's side, instantly weakening the female warrior (1800/1600).

Illidan could only growl as Mai said "Finish her Amazoness Fighter with Amazoness Punch!" The fighter then struck the weaker warrior with her fist, causing the warrior to cry out in pain, which knocked her to the ground.

Illidan quickly said "I'm not done yet Mai, for now I use D.D. Warrior Lady's effect and send both Amazoness Fighter and D.D. Warrior Lady to the removed from play pile. Now D.D. Warrior Lady, use Dimensional Rift!" A multicolored circle then appeared in the sky. The female warrior jumped back up and grabbed onto the fighter from behind. Slowly, the two flew into the sky and were sucked into the rift, which sealed shut when they entered into it. The orange tiger seemed to let loose a roar of sorrow for the loss of his comrade and loss of attack points (1800/1800).

Sighing, Mai said "No matter Illidan. Amazoness Tiger, attack one of Illidan's Scapegoat Tokens with Amazoness Swipe!" The tiger gracefully bounded across the field and slashed the blue goat creature, which was easily destroyed.

"I'll end my move." (Mai 7000, Illidan 8000)

Sighing, Illidan stared at the tiger on the field. His thoughts were filled with "_Great, now I have to worry about hello kitty there. I'd better be careful though. That thing is dangerous after all._"

Drawing, Illidan saw his Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. Staring at his hand, Illidan thought for a moment on what to do. "_Hmm, I could summon one of my weaker Magnet Warriors, but that would only ruin my chances of summoning Valkyrion. No, for now I'll hold out and let my Scapegoats defend me. Surely I can last another turn or two._" After deciding, Illidan then placed the card into his other hand and said "I'll pass this turn." (Mai 7000, Illidan 8000)

Mai drew and smiled, saying "Hmm, my move, and I'll summon the monster known as Harpie Lady 1 (1300/1400) in attack mode." A female bird like monster then appeared. She had green wings that hooked to her arms, talons on her hands and feet, and pinkish hair. For the most part, she reminded Illidan of the monster Harpie Lady, except for some slight differences.

Curious, Illidan asked "Harpie Lady 1?"

Smirking, Mai replied "I see you have yet to meet my newest Harpie, Illidan. Yes, Harpie Lady 1 is a different monster than Harpie Lady. This monster has the special ability to increase all wind attribute monsters attack points by 300 points (1600/1400). Wonderful little vixen, isn't she?" With that said, the female bird creature slightly glowed as her power increased.

"Harpie Lady 1, attack one of Illidan's Scapegoat Tokens with Slashing Talon!" The pink haired monster took off into the air, flying at a quick pace for the weaker goat creature. She easily slashed the orange goat creature into pieces.

"Time for my tiger to feed. Amazoness Tiger destroy another Scapegoat with Amazoness Swipe!" Roaring, the tiger bounded across the field like poetry in motion. And then suddenly, the red goat was slashed, causing it to explode.

"I'll end my move by placing this card face down. Your move Illidan." (Mai 7000, Illidan 8000)

Illidan then drew his next card, saying "I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards from my deck." He instantly drew the two cards and smirked at one of them.

"I'll set one monster on the field. That ends my turn." (Mai 7000, Illidan 8000)

Lightly laughing, Mai taunted Illidan, saying "Sneaky, sneaky Illidan, but that won't save you. I now summon Harpie Lady 2 (1300/1400) in attack mode." Another female monster with green wings then appeared. Unlike the previous one, this one had orange hair and looked more like one of the Harpie Lady Sisters.

Seeing Illidan's bewildered look, Mai said "I'm sure you're curious to know what she can do. Well, I'll show you. First, she gains 300 attack points thanks to Harpie Lady 1 (1600/1400). Harpie Lady 2, attack Illidan's face down monster with Slashing Talon!" The orange haired female bird creature then glided across the field and struck the face down card image with her talons.

Illidan smirked knowing Mai had made an error, or so he thought. Instead of activating it's effect when it showed up, his Cyber Jar just instantly died. Shocked, Illidan said "Huh? What's going on?"

Mai only giggled, saying "You dolt, my Harpie Lady 2's special effect is to negate flip effect monsters. That means your Cyber Jar never had a chance to use its effect. Harpie Lady 1, attack his remaining Scapegoat with Slashing Talon!" The pink haired female bird creature then flew across the field and easily slashed the remaining pink goat creature with her claws.

"Alright, time to do some damage to you directly. Amazoness Tiger, direct attack with Amazoness Swipe!" The tiger bounded across the field and then slashed Illidan, making him slide back.

"That ends my turn Illidan." (Mai 7000, Illidan 6200)


	58. Chapter 58: Amazons and Tigers, Pt 2

**Hey all. Yawns. Damn, I'm tired, lol. Getting up at five in the morning sucks. Oh well, no use to complain. Time to move onto the reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks. Mai is a good duelist, contrary to many of the results of her duels. Lol, thanks about that line. I found a few nice cute lines to always throw in at random times.**

**Isis the Sphinx: I tried to make everyone that fought Illidan appear evenly matched. Of course, over time, one or another overpowers the other. And yeah, I kind of based Illidan's mindset from my own. I tried to have him represent me in a way, and rl Marie, my fiancé, represents Marie in some respects, although she claims I made Marie too agreeable, lol.**

**Pink-kiss-candy: Watches Ryou running away. Run man, run fast! She's coming! Oh yes, and thanks for the comment.**

**Well, that's all I have. Remember, if you'd like to see more on the past, check out my fiancé's fan fic known as The History of the Millennium Items. She'll probably post more this Thursday. In future chapters of my story, bits and pieces of her story show up in my own, so if you'd like to see the whole picture, check it out. The link is in my profile.**

**I'm through for now though. Later all.**

**Chapter 58**

Looking on, Illidan knew that things weren't going well. "_This isn't looking too good for me. If only I could draw Alpha the Magnet Warrior from my deck, then I'd be able to fight back. I won't give up yet though. Guide me Heart of the Cards._"

Illidan slowly drew his next card and smiled, saying "It's time I take control of this duel Mai. First I'll start by playing a favorite magic card of yours, Harpie's Feather Duster!" A tornado then took to the field, which shocked Mai as she watched her face down trap known as Amazoness Archers being destroyed.

"Too bad you won't get to use that trap on me now Mai. Next I send Gamma the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and Alpha the Magnet Warrior from my hand to the Graveyard in order to special summon Valkyion the Magna Warrior (3500/3800) in attack mode!" The three Magnet Warriors then appeared on the field and combined into one large warrior that wielded a powerful sword.

"Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack Mai's Amazoness Tiger with Magna Slash!" The mighty warrior took flight at that command and slashed the orange tiger hard, making it roar in pain as it was destroyed.

"Ok, since Valkyrion destroyed a monster, my Deck Master's ability kicks in, allowing Valkyrion to attack again. Valkyrion, attack Mai's Harpie Lady 1 with Magna Slash!" The warrior took flight once again and came down hard on the pink haired bird lady, causing her to explode from the attack.

"That ends my turn." (Mai 3400, Illidan 6200)

With a bit of shock on her face, Mai then smiled and drew, saying "Impressive move Illidan. I didn't expect you to return fire so fast, but I'm far from done. Watch as I first play this card, Monster Reborn. Now, I bring back my Harpie Lady 1 (1300/1400) in attack mode, which automatically raises all wind attribute monster's attack points by 300 (1600/1400)." The bird woman with pink hair then returned to the field and let out a small screech, letting know she was ready for a fight.

"Now I summon Harpie Lady 3 (1300/1400), which gets a 300 point boost (1600/1400)." A blue haired bird woman, that looked much like the other two, then appeared on the field beside the other two bird women.

"Next I'll play the magic card Reasoning. Now, you get to guess a monster level, then I draw from my deck till I pick up a monster. Any magic or trap cards are automatically discarded. If you guess the monster level right, I lose that monster to the Graveyard, but if you guess wrong, I get to special summon that monster. So, pick a monster level."

After thinking for a moment, Illidan said "I'll guess level 4."

Mai smiled and drew, saying "Nice guess Illidan. Now I draw, and the first card I draw is Harpie's Pet Dragon (2000/2500)! Now, I special summon it to the field in attack mode." A red dragon with wings for arms and a golden chain around its neck appeared on the field. It roared and blew smoke and fire all around, making it hard to see the field..

"Time for my Pet Dragon to get more power due to his special ability. Since I have 3 Harpie Lady's on the field, he gains 1500 attack points (3500/2500), which is dead even with your Valkyrion." The dragon and the mighty mechanical warrior then stared each other down, which was like two titans ready to make war.

Mai then chuckled, saying "Of course Illidan, you haven't forgotten my Harpie Lady 1, have you?"

Looking bewildered, Illidan exclaimed "Huh?" Suddenly it hit him then. "_Wait, now I remember. That thing raises the attack points of all wind attribute monsters. No, that means the Pet Dragon gets 300 more points!_"

Growling, he responded "Yes, I remember now."

Smirking, Mai replied "Then you won't mind when Harpie's Pet Dragon gains 300 more attack points (3800/2500)!" The dragon roared as it's points were boosted, giving it just the slight edge it needed over the mighty mechanical warrior.

"Harpie's Pet Dragon, destroy Valkyrion with Pet Flames!" Roaring, the dragon quickly released a stream of fire directly at the mechanical warrior. It did it's best to hold the attack off, but finally succumbed to the blast and exploded into pieces.

"Harpie Lady 1, 2, and 3, direct attack Illidan with Slashing Talon!" The pink haired bird woman was first to respond as it glided in and slashed Illidan, making him slide back like before, but he stood still. The orange haired bird woman then moved in for the attack, slashing Illidan hard like the previous bird woman had, but it knocked Illidan down to one knee that time. Pushing the pain aside, Illidan then rose only to see the final bird woman charging him from the air. She smashed right into him, knocking him backwards a few feet. Illidan laid there for a minute, and then finally got up with some difficulty.

Mai smiled and said "Well, I'm surprised you got up Illidan. I guess you're just a glutton for punishment. I'll end my turn." (Mai 3400, Illidan 1100)

Illidan finally slowed his ragged breath that he'd picked up since the last attack and closed his eyes. Thinking hard on what he needed to do this turn, he drew and opened his eyes to see what he had. In his mind, he said "_BINGO!_" to what he had drawn.

Smiling, he said "I'll play the magic card Graceful Charity. This card allows me to draw 3 new cards, and discard 2 from my hand when I'm done." He then drew his next three cards and smiled at the new cards he had.

"I discard Mystical Space Typhoon and Jinzo to the Graveyard for Graceful Charity's effect."

Mai only laughed and said "I see your little combo didn't happen as usual. That's good, cause I am about to win this duel."

Smirking, Illidan replied "Not quite this time Mai, but I still have a few cards to play. I play the magic card Raigeki, which destroys all your monsters on the field!" Several streaks of lightning poured from the sky and struck all of Mai's monsters. The three bird women screeched as they exploded and the dragon howled in pain as well.

"No! My Harpies!" cried out Mai as they all disappeared.

With a tint of hilarity in his voice, Illidan said "And their little Pet Dragon too. Now, I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3800)!" The mechanical warrior then reappeared on the field in its entire splendor.

Mai's eyes turned sad and downward towards the ground as she sadly said "It's over then." Illidan could only nod.

Smiling sadly back at him, she said "Then finish it Illidan. Give me that at the least."

Nodding, Illidan replied "It was an honor to duel you Mai. Valkyrion, direct attack her life points with Magna Slash!" The warrior then took to the air and slashed Mai with his powerful sword, which knocked her to the ground. Mai's Duel Disk then powered down, followed by Illidan's Duel Disk.

"The winner of this duel, Illidan Stormrage!" declared the judge.

Illidan quickly walked over to Mai and offered his hand to help her up. She gladly accepted and once standing, shook his hand.

Smiling, Mai said "Good duel hun. You proved your worthy of those titles to me. Just don't expect me to go easy on you in the final 10-way duel."

Lightly laughing, Illidan replied "I won't Mai. I don't expect anyone to."

The crowd then came out onto the field and they talked since the duel was over. Illidan hugged Marie and gave her a kiss, as Joey did the same to Mai.

Elsewhere in the tower though, Gozaoborro only stared at the monitor with a sour face.

"Enjoy this while you can Illidan, because soon enough, you'll be destroyed! And by the hands of your own love too!" declared Gozaburo as he bellowed with evil laughter.


	59. Chapter 59: Happiness Remembered

**Hello once again all. So, everyone thinks Gozaburo is going to use Marie against Illidan, huh? Well, we'll see. Smiles evilly. Yes, we'll see. Ok, now time for reviews.**

**Isis the Sphinx: LOL! Actually, no, we didn't, but on chapter 63… kidding. We have had very few fights in reality. Thankfully, we get along very well together, so we've had no true reasons to fight. Only reason I wrote a chapter like that one coming up was due that they had to eventually duel one another.**

**pink-kiss-candy: No where to run for her though.**

**Divine Weapon: Uh… we'll see… And we'll see about Marie winning. I used to from time to time in rl, lol. Watches as Marie comes over to kill me now. I mean I tried my hardest! Yes, that's it! Smacked in the back of the head and dragged away. SOMEONE HELP ME! Lol, but thanks about the comment on Wolves Seal also. It'll be up once I finish posting Tournament of Power.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: I thought about using the baby pet dragon, but at the time of writing this story, it wasn't out yet. So, I thought about going back through again, but with all the work I did the first time on going back through, I refused to do it again, lol. And thanks for the comment about Gozaburo needing a monster. He has one, but it shall be revealed later. Let's just say it's a card that will truly make things far more interesting.**

**Well, that's all I have this morning. There is good news though. I got a job in my career field now, so happy days! Problem is, my fiancé has a job as well, but it's moving her away from me about two and a half hours… Sighs Oh well, I'll figure it out one day.**

**Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to take a peak at my fiancé's story. The link is in my profile.**

**Chapter 59**

Once the day had concluded, the stats were changed as usual. The first duel with Mai vs. Illidan had Illidan winning as usual. Next was the duel of Marie vs. Yugi. Marie fought with all she had, but in the end, it wasn't enough to stop Slifer the Sky Dragon from finishing her off. Yugi won, keeping his perfect record, and shattering Marie's. The next duel was Joey and Noa, with a surprise upset. Joey defeated Noa, but just barely. In the next duel, it was Seto and Marik. In a clash of the Gods, Marik proved just how much stronger his Winged Dragon of Ra was than Obelisk the Tormentor. He also proved that he was becoming more and more of a dangerous threat in the tournament. The final duel of the day was Bakura and Bandit Keith. Keith faltered as usual, allowing Bakura the win.

When all the duels were recorded, the stats were updated. They showed Illidan as 1st, Yugi as 2nd, Marie as still 3rd, Marik still at 4th, Joey moving into 5th, Noa pulling into 6th, Seto sliding back to 7th, Bakura moving back into 8th, Mai falling to 9th, and Keith remaining 10th.

Once the day was calming down from all the dueling excitement, Illidan returned to his room to rest. He stretched out on his bed and began to take a nap. The day before had tired him not only physically, but mentally. Never before had he pushed his powers so far before.

Mentally, he began pondering on that fact. "_I still wonder how I got this strong. I know I was much weaker back in ancient times. I wonder if maybe it's due that I'm in a different body, or it's my age, or something. I was only 21 back then, but then again, I'm 18 now, so three years shouldn't matter. So why am I so much more powerful?_"

These thoughts continued to swim around in his head. Finally, unable to sleep, Illidan got up and looked at himself in the mirror he had on his closet door. It showed him his whole body. There stood an image of himself staring back at him. He stood there, just gazing at how he looked.

He was literally 18 years old in this life, but in his past life, when he'd come into possession of the Millennium Key, he was 21. Still, he looked the same as he did back then, other than his clothes. His body was perfectly the same as it was back then. The same was for Marie. She was 21 in ancient times, but she had been reborn at the same time as him, making them both 18 years old this time.

Smiling inwardly, he thought "_Of course, her beauty is the same as well. I've spent all the millenniums dreaming of that beauty._"

Illidan then sat back down on the bed and let his memories take him back to what had happened after he'd placed the Millennium Items in the tomb of the pharaoh. It was the same day he sealed the items away that he officially took the throne of Egypt.

With time, Illidan rebuilt Egypt, for it had been devastated by horrible Shadow Games, and nearly destroyed altogether by the three Egyptian Gods. Over the years, Illidan slowly healed Egypt with the help of Marie and the other three former Millennium Item holders. Together, they ran Egypt, giving it a second chance to grow into the power it once had. He helped protect Egypt from many invaders, as well as created many public works and so on.

He then remembered that most of all, he had cared for the people. He smiled when he remembered the people used to cheer him as he rode his chariot down the streets of Cairo. The people loved Illidan, for he had given them so much hope for a future. He built up the Egyptian army, and the navy. Also, he only asked for volunteers to defend Egypt at times of peace. They would receive compensation for their time in either gold or food, which was given to them and their family weekly.

Life in Egypt was peaceful throughout Illidan's reign. At the end of his reign, he decreed that the title of pharaoh would be passed onto his daughter, Madan. She was Illidan and Marie's first child, and therefore it was decided she'd be the Queen of Egypt.

Smiling inwardly again, Illidan remembered how happy he was each time Marie had given him a child. They had had five children altogether, each very special to his heart back then. He also remembered that they had come up with a solution for guarding Yami's remains. When his oldest son, Kai, had reached an age in which he could marry, Illidan asked him to become the Tomb Keeper for Yami. Naturally, his son was not too fond of the idea, but he left him with the choice. He told him he would not force him either way. In the end, his son did decide to honor his father's wishes, and took with him to the tomb his fiancé. There, they lived and served as the royal Tomb Keepers. Over the years, the family name Stormrage was lost, and it was eventually changed to Ishtar.

Illidan felt a slight tear coming to his eye as he remembered his last days in his past life. He was doing fine, so it seemed, when suddenly he became weakened. He knew his life wouldn't last forever, but he wasn't worried about it either. He had done all he could for Egypt.

He was at the ripe age of 60 when he died. Unfortunately, Marie had died only 1 month before. He was heartbroken when she had died. It was like his life had ended, to never continue again. Illidan suffered on for another month, and then finally, his weakened body gave way.

Illidan had also been the next to last of the Millennium Items holders that were alive at that time. Only Shadi had outlived him, which was the original plan. Shadi would guard the items till the reincarnated beings that once used them would need them again.

Smiling, he remembered the day he had died. Shadi had visited, wearing his Millennium Key as usual. Illidan smiled as Shadi joked with his past self, calling him old friend.

"Funny Shadi, we are the same age, yet you look 21. I should have given myself the looks and you the immortality. Then you could have been the bag of old bones and me handsome still, yet old." commented Illidan's past self.

Both laughed about it, and Illidan smiled at those times. That night, he died peacefully in his sleep. The people of Egypt mourned Illidan's death for many weeks, crying out for their wonderful leader. Illidan only smiled, knowing that one day he'd return to help stop the evil of the Shadow Games again. The vision then ended.

Shaking his head in an attempt to refocus on the now and then, Illidan finally snapped out of his trance. "_I have a destiny to fulfill in this time, and that's to stop Gozaburo. I won't let him destroy the world, for it's my destiny to help save the world from him again._" Slowly standing, Illidan then walked over to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

While in the kitchen, the loud speaker came on, with judge speaking as usual. "Attention all duelists, there will be a Tag Team Title Duel tonight. It will be the champions, Illidan and Marie, vs. Bakura and Bandit Keith. The duel will start at 7 P.M. sharp. Now, please carry on."

Sighing, Illidan then smiled, saying "So, it's me and Marie vs. Bakura and Bandit Keith. Should be interesting."

He then quickly ate some supper. Once done, he looked over his deck and smiled when he was satisfied. Quickly grabbing his Duel Disk and deck, he set out to meet Marie. She was waiting for him in her room, ready to roll on towards the duel.

The two of them then headed down the hall, hand in hand, to the elevator. Once there, they say Bakura and Keith were already waiting.

Keith was first to speak, as always, with his usual insults. "About time the dork squad showed up. Hurry up and get over here so I can pulverize you and win a title from you."

Before Illidan could respond, the judge showed up and hurried the four into the elevator. Soon enough, they were on top of the tower. Once there, the judge moved to the center of the tower and went over the rules, explaining things as usual.

He then asked Illidan and Marie which team they wanted to go first. Marie asked Illidan, and Illidan said let the opposing team go first. Then Keith elected himself to go first, then Illidan, then Bakura, followed by Marie. The four were then told to go to their positions and activate their Duel Disks and bring out their Deck Masters, and to finally draw their first five cards.

All four fired their holo projectors simultaneously and then their Duel Disks unfolded and powered up.

Smirking, Keith yelled "I'll bring out my Machine King (2200/2000)." The large blue, red and grey robot then appeared beside of him.

Illidan then declared "I'll bring out my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)." A large soldier in black armor and wielding a sword and shield then appeared beside of Illidan.

Smiling, Bakura said "I call out my Dark Necrofear (2200/2800)." A powerful looking purple skinned fiend then made it's appearance beside of Bakura.

Marie smiled as well, saying "And I'll bring out my Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000)." A pink skinned angel with golden wings then appeared beside of Marie.

All four then drew their cards and yelled "Let's Duel!"


	60. Chapter 60: Fiendish Machine Failure

**Hey guys. Well, today is a good morning, I guess, other than I'm tired… I'll sleep it off at my fiancé's I guess. Not to mention, I have work in the morning… I hate 6-2 shifts, lol. But anyways, onto the reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: He could stand a chance… But with Keith, most likely not, lol. Yes, it'll be a rather intriguing monster, and yes, it does have a type of connection with the crown in a sense. Yes, they had five kids, lol. I originally thought maybe more since this was the ancient past, where more was better, but I compromised and went with five. Less would have been kind of odd. And no, history will not repeat itself, lol. Marie would kill Illidan if they had five again probably, and the same thing could be said in rl, lol. Actually, how he met Dark Magician of Chaos will be explained in my fiancé's story. I think she'll be showing that.**

**pink-kiss-candy: He could be… Ah, poor baby. Pats her on the head and gives her Tums.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, sort of. I kind of had a pattern. Singles matches through the day, then tag team or another kind of match at night. Yes, the duels with Yami/Yugi and Marie will be good. They're coming up soon as I square away another chapter or so.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Lol, poor Ryou. And he doesn't always win… Marie wins in other ways, lol.**

**That's about it for me. Don't forget to check out my fiancé's fan fic, and she'd love to hear some reviews. She's going to post more tonight I believe, so check it out if you're interested in Illidan and Marie's past lives.**

**At any rate, enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 60**

Keith drew his sixth card, saying "Alright dorks, I'll begin by summoning my Robotic Knight (1600/1800) in defense mode." A red robot dressed somewhat like a knight then made it's appeared on the field in a defensive position.

"Next, my Deck Master's special ability activates. Machine King now adds 200 to both of my Robotic Knights stats (1800/2000)." The red and blue machine monster then fired a laser from it's eyes into the back of the robot knight. It glowed for a moment, and then his stats increased.

"Finally, I'll set one card face down, and end my turn. Your move dweeb!" (Keith 4000, Illidan 4000, Bakura 4000, Marie 4000)

Illidan only smirked at Keith's taunts. "_He thinks he's big and bad, but if he and Bakura don't work as a team, they'll lose the duel. Seto tried the same tactic yesterday, but he failed in the end. Let's just see how far Keith gets by going solo._"

Illidan then drew his card and saw his hand consisted of Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End, Raigeki, D.D. Warrior Lady, Mystical Space Typhoon, Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and his newly drawn Thunder Nyan Nyan.

His staring was interrupted by Keith yelling "Move it punk! Hurry up so I can wipe the floor with you!"

Keith kept on with his remarks, but Illidan only ignored him. Once he stopped, Illidan asked "Are you done yet Keith? Because if you are, I'll make my move now."

Keith only grumbled, and nodded. Smiling, Illidan said "I'll start by summoning D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in defense mode." A lady warrior in grey armor then appeared on the field in a crouching position.

"Next I'll set one card face down. I end my move." (Keith 4000, Illidan 4000, Bakura 4000, Marie 4000)

Bakura drew then and smiled, saying "It's my move chaps. I'll summon Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode." An orange fur ball with green arms and legs, and three eyes then appeared on the field with it's arms crossed.

"Now I'll set five cards on the field. That'll do it for me." (Keith 4000, Illidan 4000, Bakura 4000, Marie 4000)

"Why did you waste your turn you pathetic loser!" exclaimed Keith. Illidan wasn't too shocked that Keith would say such a thing to his own partner seeing how Keith had the world's largest ego, if not second only to Seto's. Bakura only smiled at the comment and shook his head.

Marie sighed at the fighting and drew, saying "My move, and to shut you up Keith, I summon Shining Angel (1400/800) in attack mode." A male angel with golden wings and gold hair then appeared on the field. He was unarmed, but that didn't mean he couldn't pack quite a punch.

"Next I'll play the field card known as Luminous Spark, which raises the attack points of all light monsters by 500, but lowers their defense points by 400." Suddenly the field glowed brightly, and then the blonde angel and warrior lady glowed brightly for a moment. Then their stats changed.

"Thanks to this card, my Shining Angel (1900/400) and Illidan's D.D. Warrior Lady (2000/1200) both gain and lose points. Now I'll set two cards face down, and end my turn." (Keith 4000, Illidan 4000, Bakura 4000, Marie 4000)

Keith then spat angrily "That was pathetic Marie. Attempting to combat my monsters is a waste of time. It's time I take this duel up a notch."

Keith glared at Illidan and then drew his card, saying "Ah, it's time. I reveal my face down magic card, Change of Heart. Now I'll take control of Illidan's D.D. Warrior Lady and next I'll sacrifice it along with my Robotic Knight to summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast (2800/2000) in attack mode!" In a flash, the female warrior along with the mechanical knight disappeared and a robotic like dragon with tank like tracks appeared on the field. It roared, and let loose some fire from its nostrils.

"Now, my Machine King gives my dragon an additional 200 attack and defense points (3000/2200)." The red and blue machine monster's eyes glowed once again and let loose a blast from them at the dragon, which roared with new found power.

"Fusilier Dragon, attack Illidan's life points directly now with Flaming Machine Breath!" The mighty mechanical dragon roared at Illidan and fired a stream of fire directly at him.

Just as the blast was about to hit Illidan, Marie said "I activate the trap card Draining Shield to defend Illidan! Now your attack is negated and your monsters attack points are added to my life points." A huge shield of energy then appeared in front of Illidan. The flames were absorbed and then the shield sent the energy from the attack straight over to Marie's Duel Disk, which then raised her life points by the mechanical dragon's attack points.

Growling, Keith said "Darn you Marie! I'll end my turn." (Keith 4000, Illidan 4000, Bakura 4000, Marie 7000)

Smiling at Marie, Illidan said "Thanks Marie."

Smiling back, she replied "No problem Illidan. Now, show him what you're made of."

Nodding, Illidan drew and said "I'll play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three new cards, but I must discard two from my hand when I finish." Looking at his new cards, he could only smile.

"I'll discard Sangan and Thunder Nyan Nyan for my magic card's effect. Now, it's time to end this duel Keith."

Laughing, Keith said "I doubt that. Go ahead and try it Illidan. I'm sure you'll fail."

Smiling, Illidan only laughed back and said "I doubt that one Keith. Watch as I remove from play from my Graveyard my Thunder Nyan Nyan and Sangan to special summon my Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" A large black dragon with orange hair and large black wings then appeared on the field, roaring with incredible ferocity. Keith's face went ashen as he saw the monster that he knew could beat him.

"You know how this dragon works, don't you Keith? I now give up 1000 life points in order to activate my dragon's special ability. Chaos Emperor Dragon, use your Infinite Blaster to destroy all the cards on the field and in our hands!"

"NOOOOO!" screamed Keith who vividly remembered this was how he lost his previous duel with Illidan. But all his screaming wouldn't stop the large black dragon as it flew to the center of the field and began to glow. The glow got brighter and brighter till finally the dragon exploded, wiping out anything in it's path.

When the blast was over, nothing was left on the field. The total damage was calculated, but it was well over 4000 life points which caused both Keith and Bakura's life point counters to hit zero. Their Duel Disk's then powered down, followed by Illidan and Marie's.

The judge then cleared his throat and announced "Illidan and Marie are the winners of this duel. They remain the Tag Team Champions!"

"NOOOOO!" Keith screamed yet again as he hit his knees. He began banging the floor with his hands hard. To everyone, he looked like a big baby throwing a tantrum. They all laughed at this due that Keith had tried everything once again to beat Illidan, and still came up short. Also, it was ironic that the same card Illidan had used to beat him with the first time was what defeated him the second time as well.

Everyone then came onto the field and congratulated Illidan and Marie. Illidan then walked over to Bakura and thanked him for a good duel.

Bakura only laughed, replying "What duel? You had us beat in only 2 turns!"

Illidan only laughed with him at this. They then went over to help Keith up, but Keith got up and ran towards the elevator where he quickly got in. Illidan only gave a shrug and went on to join the crowd.

Meanwhile, in his office, Gozaburo smiled at the quick duel. "So Illidan, you beat them easily. Impressive, but it won't save you tomorrow. Tomorrow you'll face the one you love and we'll see if you can truly defeat her." He then began to laugh evilly, thinking of how enjoyable it would be to see a duel of lovers.


	61. Chapter 61: Many Questions, No Answers

**Hello once again. Hope things have been good for you all this week. They have been up and down for me. First, I got news I have a job, but the problem is, my fiancé has one too, but hers will move her much further away… But there is hope, due that she has applied for another that is closer, which would allow us to move somewhere in the middle to split the difference. So, I'm hopeful. Of course, the other job that wants her to move further away wants an answer next Wednesday, and the job she wants that is closer might not decide who they want by next week. Sigh So much confusion and craziness now. At any rate, enough about that. It's time to do some reviews.**

**Divine Weapon: Lol, doubtful she'd kill him, although some days I ponder if she would irl. Gets smacked in the back of the head by rl Marie. I mean I know she'd never hurt me…**

**MarkMachine: Ah, don't worry about the not reviewing. I do that sometimes, but I've started trying to review more, seeing how I know now how it feels to not get any, lol. Yes, she usually builds up a rather large collection of life points. Her Deck Master just goes crazy and builds up her points. As for the connection to her life points getting so high and the story, there really is none. It's just her Deck Master's special ability, and as you noticed, it's harder for her to lose with the build up of points. Lol, I know, the gang seemed to end up gone, but I didn't want to focus on them entirely. They're there watching, but just no comments are being booted out by them specifically. What I was trying to say about that skirmish was show Illidan had grown stronger, but as Gozaburo soon proved, he was still no match. The crown has more power than the seven items combined, even with Illidan's new power. Thanks for trying to help with guessing the time difference though. My best guess would be it's five years or more, and more than likely it's under ten, so I'm thinking possibly six years. Lol, why six, no idea. Mostly due that it'll work for the new story I'm working on.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, as for Ryou lasting longer, doubtful. Illidan's strategy that game was pretty easy. Get CED out, blast the field, end game instantly. Watches the cat fight getting ready to happen. Maybe I should sell tickets, or we could put it in… Smacked in the back of the head again by Marie. Never mind…**

**Isis the Sphinx: Thanks for the congrats. When I started this story, I thought it'd only be fifty chapters or so. I soon realized it would be longer than that, lol. I spent so much time on details, that it ended up getting longer and longer. Not to mention, I fell in and out of writing on it due to school. But anyways, yeah, a short chapter, but oh well.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah. It was a very short duel. Due to the setup Illidan had that duel, he easily won. Keith hasn't dueled well in a very long time, and probably will never duel well, lol. The monster that Gozaburo will have isn't connected to the crown in the past by the way, but was connected in the future. Let's just say, this card will definitely change things.**

**Well, that's all I have. Btw, I am about to post another chapter of my fiancé's story. This chapter deals with Illidan's past, and I think you all will find it very interesting. Here is a link if anyone is interested: ****The History of the Millennium Items**** She did a great job on his past, and you learn more about his mysterious past before he met Marie. Btw, if you look, feel free to review it. She loves reviews as much as I do, so don't hesitate to say whatever you feel about it.**

**I'm finished for now, but I'll post more again next week. I hope I keep getting lots of reviews like I am. I enjoy answering them each time I post. Anyways, till Monday, enjoy.**

**Chapter 61**

Once the duel was over, and the victory celebration was done, everyone turned in for bed. After waiting an hour for things to settle down for the night, Illidan got back up and snuck down the hall to Marie's room by using his Millennium Key. He silently went inside, hoping she wasn't asleep.

There on her bed, like before, sat Marie, sitting in a meditative state. Illidan slowly walked towards her, letting his shroud of darkness disappear. Once it was gone, she opened her eyes to smile at him. Her Millennium Necklace was glowing, confirming that he was right that she was looking into the past again.

"_Or could it be the future?_" he silently thought.

Marie slowly stood and walked towards him, saying "I see you decided to come to see me again Illidan. I'm glad."

Smiling back, Illidan came up to her and she led them to her bed once again. He sat down beside her, taking hold of her hands.

Holding her hands with tenderness, Illidan stared into her eyes and said "Marie, I want to know, if you can tell me, why my Millennium Key is so much stronger now than it was back in ancient times. You know as well as I do that I wasn't half as strong as I am now. What happened?"

Smiling at him, she stared back into his brown eyes and sighed, saying "I wish I knew for sure Illidan, but I don't. I do have a theory though."

Curious, Illidan replied "Ok..."

"You see Illidan, you were older when you first received the Millennium Key. Also, you weren't as spiritually strong then, although when I first met you, you were the strongest member of Yami's court. I can only guess that one of three things has possibly happened."

Pausing for a moment, she smiled again and continued, saying "First, the Millennium Key grew in strength from being worn by Shadi possibly. Don't forget, he held onto your item for five millennia, so he had time to train with it, not to mention store energy within it. My second possible theory that I have is you grew stronger in death than you could have in life. It's true that when one died in ancient times, you grew in spiritual strength. But when you died, you grew much stronger apparently, possibly stronger than ever possibly could have during a life time."

Illidan thought for a moment, but then interrupted, saying "Wait, back in ancient times, when we still had our Shadow Powers, it was said that you grew in strength and power at large gaps till you was to turn eighteen, in which point you slowed in growing. Your powers may still grow, but not as fast as they once did. I know that me, you, Yami, and the others all were the exception to the rule though, for we trained constantly and kept pushing one another to new heights. Still, it makes no sense that I'd be this strong. I'm far stronger than I was, as well as far stronger than Yami was and is currently."

Marie smiled, and replied "Well, that's true, but Yami has yet to realize his full power. Don't forget, he wiped his memory, making him forget how to fully tap into his powers from ancient times. Still, he's stronger now than he was, but not as strong as you are."

Sighing, Marie then said "Anyways, there is a third possibility too. This possibility is a combo of the two other possibilities that has made you this strong. That's all I can figure out at this time. Really, I'm not sure why you grew so strong. You just got stronger, somehow."

Each then sighed as they then looked at the ground. Illidan's mind was a buzz, realizing there was no explanation at the moment. "_So, not even Marie is sure why I'm stronger._"

Marie then chimed in, waking him from his thoughts. "I do know this much Illidan. The past is wrapped up in this tournament. In the end, the true evil will be revealed."

With a look of bewilderment on his face, Illidan asked "What do you mean Marie? The true evil is this Gozaburo, isn't it?"

Shaking her head, she slowly explained. "No, it's not. The evil that one of us will have to fight is from five millennia ago."

Illidan's face then went white with fear. "_The same evil as five millennia ago. That means…_"

"You mean Gozaburo Tark, the one we fought five millennia ago?" he asked.

Nodding, Marie replied "I believe so. I've caught slight glimpses of him in my visions of the final duel. Just glimpses, but glimpses can usually lead to the truth. I'm not sure though. My visions of the future are becoming much harder to concentrate on. No matter what I seem to do, I can't concentrate on the future visions. They've become more and more clouded. It's like something or someone is blocking me."

Thinking for a moment, Illidan finally asked "Is it possible that Gozaburo is blocking your visions with the Millennium Crown?"

Looking into Illidan's eyes, she shook her head no, saying "I don't think so. If it is him, then he's learned to control the Millennium Crown a lot better than before. But I can't see how someone could do that. It seems impossible for him to be able to cloud the future. It would take a large amount of concentration and power for a person to block someone's visions. Not even I could do that, I think. It would take all I had to, at the least, and seeing how I'm the strongest one with the ability to see the future, I don't know how he could do it."

"You're forgetting something though Marie. Gozaburo's Millennium Crown is much stronger than your Millennium Necklace. His crown allows him to use his powers to a greater extent than your own, meaning he might be able to see farther into either the past or future, and might be able to see it better than you can. Also, his power may cloud the visions of others. Who knows what all he's capable of."

Sighing, Illidan then thought for a moment and finally said "We still don't know what Gozaburo Tark was capable of in those times. We had such a short battle with him that we really will never know what all he could do with the Millennium Crown. But we do know one thing, and that is he had immense power. It was building up during that battle before I took him down. I think if that fight had dragged on any longer than it had back then, none of us would have survived."

Suddenly, his last words made memories of that sad time resurface within him. Closing his eyes, he mentally scolded himself for his so called failures. "_I should have been able to stop him. Why couldn't I save them all immediately? I could have saved Yami. No, I should have, but I refused to fight him at first. We gave him too much time and he was able to get strong enough to even take on Yami and me. I was such a fool for allowing him to harm Yami._"

Silent tears started streamed down his face due to the painful memories of that day. Marie noticed the tears and pulled him into a hug. She then kissed the tears away. "_After all these years, he still blames himself for that day. He blames himself for Yami's death, and for not being able to protect me, when in all actuality, it was never his fault. He did the right thing that day by offering a peaceful solution to Gozaburo, but that fool refused him. I know he fought his hardest that day to save us all, but there was nothing he could have done differently. It took everything he had to just win that fight. I felt the pain he had in his heart that day, and I still can feel it._"

Her memories then took her back to the years after that horrible day with Gozaburo, how Illidan had seemingly slipped into some kind of depression. It didn't affect him all the time, but at times, he was one of the saddest people to be around. It broke her heart to see him masking the pain, but occasionally, from time to time, he would finally break down.

She remembered how his depression and pain lessened when their children were born, for the pain was pushed aside, and love filled the void. Still, she saw the pain flare up on occasion, but not as often as it had in earlier years. Even before she had died, he was still tormented by nightmares of that day. Every time he had one, she could hear him crying out how sorry he was to Yami for failing him. He would then usually wake up, soaked in sweat and crying. She would try and calm him down for hours on end, doing anything that she could. Eventually, he always calmed down. It would sometimes take him short periods of time, others long hours, but she always seemed to find a way to calm him back down.

From what she'd seen in her visions of the past, she saw that once she had died, Illidan lived on for a month longer, tortured by his past and grief of her passing. He was tortured by not only that dark day, but the loss of the one person that truly understood and loved him for all that he was. When he was finally put to rest, Illidan's soul could only await the day he'd be reincarnated.

She then realized the same evil that nearly tore them apart five millennia ago now was returning, and this made Illidan more and more worried about her. She remembered that he nearly made the ultimate sacrifice back in ancient times to save everyone, but now he was stronger, which was good, but there was a new development. This new Gozaburo was still even stronger than Illidan, and he had had more time to learn about the powers of the Millennium Crown. It was obvious he was stronger than Illidan due to the battle he had had a night before against Gozaburo.

That left the question of if not even Illidan could stand against Gozaburo, who could? Yami was a little stronger than he was in ancient times, but not as strong as Illidan now. No one stood a chance really against Gozaburo in a Shadow Duel at the present time. Each item individually would be easily overpowered. Illidan's Millennium Key could very well be the best item of the group that stood a chance against the crown, but still, even all seven items together wouldn't be able to stop Gozaburo.

Marie then noticed that Illidan had slowly stopped crying. Finally, drying his eyes, he hugged her back, whispering in her ear "Thank you."

He pulled back then and looked into her eyes. "_She knows me so much better than anyone else. And only she can seem to calm me down. She knows it's not my fault, but deep down, I still believe it is. I… I just wish I'd have been able to protect them all better that day._"

Smiling at him, she kissed his cheek, saying "I love you Illidan, and I will always love you."

He kissed her gently and then pulled away. Slowly, he rose, saying "We need to go get some sleep. Thank you Marie, for everything."

She then stood and hugged him and gave him a small kiss. He then covered himself in darkness again and left for his room. Once there, he jumped in bed, knowing that the next day would be another long one.


	62. Chapter 62: Haunting Vision

**Hello once more. Glad to see everyone is enjoying how things are going. Well, time to answer some more reviews.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Thanks. Lol, my fiancé was semi surprised I could actually write romantic stuff. You'll find a boyfriend, don't worry. It may take time to find the right one, but you'll find them. I got lucky on my first try, but I'm sure you'll find someone. There is someone for everyone out there, so just be patient. Watches Ryou run for his life I don't think he wants the job…**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks. Lol, possibly it's a tad cliché, but oh well. It is a good card, but unfortunately, it wasn't out when I wrote the duel, I think… I could be wrong, lol. I just can't remember.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, I hope our jobs don't split us up either. We're going to find out this week more than likely if it will or not. I'm really hoping it don't.**

**Looking over my chapters coming up, I decided to put the entire duel between Illidan and Marie up this week. It's so spread out that I figured I'd better post it all in one week, so I'll post two chapters today, one each day afterwards except Friday, where I'll post two chapters again. So, hope you all like that idea.**

**Also, if you're curious to some of Illidan's past, I again suggest reading my fiancé's story. It will explain several things in the future when you read about his past. Figured I'd throw that in. Well, for now, I'm out, so enjoy.**

**Chapter 62**

"ILLIDAN!" Illidan sat straight up out of bed, shaking, crying, and soaked in sweat as usual from his horrible nightmare of his past. Then he remembered it wasn't a nightmare, it was a memory. The memory that he hated the most of all his ancient past memories. The one of the dark day that Gozaburo unleashed the power of the Millennium Crown.

Sitting there trembling and crying, he realized he couldn't regain control of himself. "_It's just like the past. I never could stop, not without Marie's touch, her love. I know it's not my fault, but it still feels like it. I couldn't stop him. Not even Yami, who was stronger than me at the time, could stop him. Then why do I feel I'm to blame? There was nothing I could do that day. I did all I could to keep him from fighting everyone till he knocked me out. But yet I feel I am to blame. Why?_" screamed those thoughts through his mind.

Slowly, Illidan got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Once there, he turned on the lights and wet a wash cloth with cold water. He then used it to wipe his face off. After a moment, he noticed a golden glow. Curious, he looked in the mirror to see that his Millennium Key was glowing.

Curious, he thought aloud "_Why is it doing that?_"

Suddenly, Illidan went blank as a vision appeared before him. The Millennium Key was now showing him a vision of that dark day.

There stood Gozaburo, wearing the Millennium Crown. He laughed at the other seven item holders, saying they were weak minded fools. He quickly took out Yami by sending him flying into a wall across the room with a mental wave of power.

Illidan was quick to put himself in between Gozaburo and Yami. He screamed at Gozaburo that he needed to stop and for him to try and regain control. He asked him to stop the insanity before he had to fight him. Of course, this made Gozaburo only laugh at this request as he pushed Illidan out of the way with his Millennium Crown.

Again and again, Illidan continued to block the path. He tried to hit Gozaburo with the power of his Millennium Key, but it was no use. Gozaburo easily deflected his blasts, showing Illidan how useless it was to try and attack him. Still, Illidan didn't stop trying to protect Yami. Yami was still on the ground, seemingly unable to stand back up. Illidan refused to let his pharaoh, brother-in-law, and most importantly friend, be killed by a madman.

Finally, Gozaburo hit Illidan hard enough with a mental wave that knocked Illidan into a wall, knocking him unconscious. In the meantime, Gozaburo had his way with Yami, smacking him hard with mental wave after mental wave. Satisfied at last, he turned to leave him in a bloody heap.

Bakura and Pegasus then jumped in, but to no avail. They were hit hard as well, and Gozaburo took his time to punish Pegasus severely, which cost Pegasus his eye sight in the end. Set then jumped in, attacking Gozaburo with his Millennium Rod. He had even pulled out the small sword that was hidden within it, but Gozaburo was never hit by Set once. For his defiance, Gozaburo then attacked Set with a mental wave that severed his right arm, making him scream out in pain as he dropped to the floor with blood pouring out from his wound. Gozaburo then smacked him hard with a mental wave for good measure, knocking Set hard into a wall which knocked him out. Shadi attempted to fight as well, but received the same treatment as the others to only be knocked out.

At last, everyone was down except Marie. She confronted Gozaburo, saying she refused to kill him, but she wouldn't allow him to get away with this treachery either. In all the insanity that Gozaburo was deep in, he simply asked her if she loved him. As she had told him for many years since she found out Illidan loved her, she rejected him again. She then lashed out at him with her power, knocking Gozaburo to the floor. She thought she had hit him hard enough to knock him out, so she turned to check on Yami. Little did she know, she hadn't knocked him out.

When she turned her back to check on Yami, Gozaburo rose again and pulled a dagger out of his cloak. He then quickly came up behind her and stabbed her, making her scream out Illidan's name.

As Illidan continued to watch this unfold through his vision, tears hit his eyes. He wished to see no more of this, but he had to. The vision wouldn't end. He then saw his past self drag his own body over to Marie's side. After figuring out she'd be alright, Illidan's past self let out a battle cry and attacked Gozaburo with all he had. He was punching, kicking, and attempting any kind of move that would make some sort of contact with Gozaburo.

At last, his past self made a sweeping kick at Gozaburo's feet, which caught Gozaburo off guard. The kick knocked Gozaburo off his feet and to the ground. This made his past self quickly grab his Millennium Key and rush to his foe's head. He then poured all the power he had into the key and used it all to send Gozaburo's mind to the Shadow Realm. His past self thought that was it, but for good measure, he kicked the Millennium Crown off of the soulless body. The crown rolled to the opposite side of the room and landed with a loud clunk.

Once satisfied that it was over, he slowly made his way back to his fallen love's body. He then laid beside her, holding her close and letting tears flow down his face for the fact he know she had suffered for no real reason.

Suddenly, the vision ended and Illidan was still looking in the mirror. His Millennium Key stopped glowing at this, but Illidan only looked in the mirror to see tears flowing down his face. The raw pain was deep and so real from that memory. He had watched the one he loved suffer at the hands of a madman yet again. And yet he was unable to do anything to protect her that day, other than seal Gozaburo's soul away.

Looking down at his Millennium Key, he thought about just throwing it into the ocean for making him have this vision again. Then he remembered he needed the Millennium Key to defeat Gozaburo. Standing there with clenched fists, Illidan's thoughts turned to anger. "_These Millennium Items are nothing but trouble. All they seem to do is bring destruction and cause pain. What is the point of having these things to save mankind if they cause so much pain in the process?_"

Almost like a response, he heard a voice in his head saying "We are in charge of protecting mankind from the darkness. Each of us has been given a chance to help save the world. We must do all we can to protect mankind and the ones that we love. If we don't, how else could we live with ourselves, knowing that we let them down."

Illidan then remembered that this was the speech he had given about the reasoning for creating the items in the first place. He and Yami had originally had the items created in order to contain the dark Shadow Magic of Egypt.

Sighing, Illidan took the wash cloth and wet it again. He then washed his face, and stared into the mirror. There staring back was a young man of 18 years of age, who was really a man who had lived in ancient times. His dark brown eyes showed so much pain behind them, but he was able to mask it rather well. Illidan stared for a few minutes longer, till he realized he had to press on.

"If I don't save everyone, then what will happen? What will happen to Marie, Yami, Bakura, Marik, Seto, and all the others? Will they die? Or will Gozaburo just torture them for all eternity?" he questioned to himself aloud.

Knowing the answers already, he replied "No, I won't quit now! I've come too far to let the darkness win. I won't let Gozaburo plunge this world into darkness for his own twisted reasons. I'll fight him to the bitter end, even if it means I must sacrifice my life to stop him. I won't let him destroy all that I love. All of these people, all of my friends and loved ones, I won't let them die because I wasn't willing to fight for them! I'll do all within my power to protect them, and I won't quit. I have to stop Gozaburo, at any cost."

Finally feeling in control of his emotions and self again, he looked at the clock on the wall. He about fell over when he saw it was only 2 A.M.

Grumbling, he said "Great…"

Illidan then made his way back to bed. Once there, he went back to sleep, hoping to wake up to a better start.


	63. Chapter 63: Angels and Soldiers

**Chapter 63**

About 6:30 A.M., Illidan woke back up to the sound of his alarm going off. He slapped the alarm clock to make it quit and stretched lazily in bed and finally got up. Quickly taking a shower, he then got out and picked out an orange shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans to wear for the day. He combed his wet hair and looked in the mirror to make sure he got his shoulder length hair fixed right.

Once he had finished, he grabbed his pop tarts and checked out the days duels. He was shocked to see he'd be facing Marie for the days duel. "_I can't believe it. It's me and her today! This should be interesting. Every opponent I've faced so far has failed to beat me, but I guess Gozaburo wants to really test me now. After all, there are only three more days of dueling left before the final 10-way duel._"

Illidan then got up and prepared his deck. Looking over his deck with studying eyes, he finally placed it back in it's holder once satisfied.

After finishing, Illidan decided to read a fan fiction he'd discovered called **Otherworld**. He'd been so interested in it lately for some reason, but he figured it would help pass the time more than anything.

Finally, the time came for him to head to the elevator. He grabbed his Duel Disk and deck holder and headed for the elevator. Once there, he saw Marie hadn't arrived yet. In fact, not even the judge had showed up. He glanced at his Duel Disk's clock and realized he was 10 minutes early. "_Wow, that's a first._" he thought with a chuckle.

Soon enough, Marie showed up. He smiled at her as he saw her walking towards him. She gave a smile back to him, but then tried to put her game face back on. "_I know this duel will be good, but still, I wish we didn't have to duel each other. After all, who knows me the best other than the one I love?_"

About a minute later, the judge came running down the hall. He was out of breath, but motioned for the two to enter the elevator. The elevator quickly sped towards the top, with Illidan looking out the viewing window. He smiled at the beautiful morning that was starting to appear. The sun was just coming up, and some fog was still on the island.

At last, the elevator got to the top of the tower and all three exited the elevator and moved to the center of the field. Once in the middle, the judge began his usual speech. About this time, the crowd had gathered and was watching. The judge continued on with his usual speech, and finally asked Illidan who he wanted to go first.

Thinking for a moment, he smiled and said "I'll let the lovely lady go first."

Marie lightly blushed at this comment, but tried hard to regain her composure. The judge just nodded, saying "Marie shall go first then. Duelists, shuffle each others deck, and then shake hands."

Illidan handed Marie his deck and she did the same for him. He shuffled till he was satisfied, as did Marie. Both then handed back the others deck. Smiling, both then grasped each other's hand and shook.

Illidan then said in a happy voice "Good luck Marie."

She smiled and replied "Good luck to you too Illidan. Let's have fun with this, ok?"

Nodding, Illidan replied "Right, this will be a fun duel."

"Now duelists, to your positions." interrupted the judge.

Both obeyed the judge and made their way to their designated spots on the field. While walking that way, the crowd was a buzz with talk about the duel to come.

"So Yug, who do you think will win?" asked Joey.

Yugi turned to Joey and responded "I'm not sure Joey. Illidan has an explosive offense with his Chaos deck, but Marie has a powerful offense as well. Also, her Deck Master gives her the ability to increase her life points several times. It's just going to be a toss up really."

Yugi then saw Yami appear beside of him. Mentally, Yugi said "This should be interesting. I'm not sure if Marie can beat Illidan, but I think it's going to be a good duel all around. What do you think Yami?"

Yami stared at Yugi for a moment and then said "It should be a good duel, but we need to study this duel as well. We should try and study Illidan's moves. Remember, we have to duel him tomorrow, and we need to know all we can for us to beat him."

Yugi nodded and Yami said "So much depends on Illidan's win. If he wins, he'll be one step closer to proving Marie and Ishizu's predictions on the winner of this tournament. Once we duel Illidan, we'll know more about who faces Gozaburo, but for now, we can't jump the gun. Illidan may lose this duel, and prove that he's not the one to defeat Gozaburo. We just have to wait and watch."

Yugi again nodded, agreeing with Yami. Then they returned to watching Illidan and Marie as they were taking their positions.

Also at that time, Seto showed great interest. "_I must watch Illidan closely. If I'm to win this tournament and destroy my step father once and for all, I must defeat Illidan. Once I've defeated him, the others will crumble beneath me._"

As well, Joey was mentally thinking about the duel. "_I have to watch closely. I have to study up, since I have to duel Illidan in two days. On that day, I have a shot at the Intercontinental Title, and I have to be ready. I worked so hard to get that title shot, and I'm not going to mess it up. I have to study everything Illidan does, and I have to make sure to know what to do when we duel._"

Also, Marik was watching the preparations for the duel, and began to think about the ramifications this duel would have. "_If Illidan wins, then he'll have the momentum he needs going into his duel with the pharaoh tomorrow. As well, he'll be carrying a lot of momentum towards the final duel. If he wins, according to my sister, he'll be one step closer also to fulfilling her predictions. Maybe it is Illidan that's destined to duel Gozaburo. I just don't know. I have to find out though. I won't underestimate him again though, for in the final 10-way duel I'll have to make sure I him._"

Everyone looked on, in anticipation to see if Illidan and Marie would truly go full force in this duel. They were all curious to see the two go at it seriously, unlike the last duel, the 5-way duel, where they helped each other instead of dueling one another.

At long last, both reached their marks. They turned to face one another and prepared to fight. Illidan had a small flash back in his head of the last time the stakes were high for when him and Marie dueled. This was in ancient times, for she wanted to join the group that aided Yami. This group was known as the Shadow Court, and consisted of strong people with Shadow Powers. She had won that day, but he won her heart a few days later.

Shaking himself of the memory, he then focused. "_I can't start day dreaming. I have to be ready for whatever she throws at me._"

The judge smiled and said "Duelists, fire your holo projectors and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards and begin!"

Both fired their holo projectors at the same time. Once the projectors landed and activated, both Duel Disks unfolded and lit up.

Marie smiled as she said "Alright, I'll call out my Deck Master, Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000)!" A beautiful pink skinned angel with golden wings and a white dress then appeared beside Marie.

Smiling at this sight, Illidan said "Well, look at that. There are two angels on the field."

Marie slightly blushed at the comment, but then quickly regained her composure, saying "Just call out your Deck Master, Illidan."

Illidan smirked, and then said "I call forth my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" A large soldier clad in black, shiny armor appeared beside Illidan. He raised his sword and shield, showing his readiness for battle.

The two then drew their cards and said "LET'S DUEL!"


	64. Chapter 64: Battle of the Lovers, Pt 1

**Hey all. Lol, well, finally today, the duel officially begins between Illidan and Marie, so no more little side trips, no more anything other than their duel. Now to answer some reviews.**

**thehyperactivecow: WOW! You read all of my chapters last night? That's a lot of reading, lol. Glad you like it so far though, and I pm'ed you the answers to your questions. Yes, Illidan was being a bit of a flirt with Marie, but she's the only one he could be with really. If he did it to one of the others, I'm sure that'd be awkward (other than with Mai, but Marie would kill Illidan if he did it with her), not to mention worrisome, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, yes, flirty indeed. Creates a diversion for Ryou to escape. Run for your life Ryou!**

**Brianna Ishtar: Aw, don't be depressed due to my story. As for the girl, that sucks. Hopefully things will get better. Watches Brianna and pink-kiss-candy fight it out for Ryou. I should have sold tickets, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: I know, I took my time on getting this duel underway. It is now officially starting, so happy days, lol. Doubtful Illidan would have a hard time, although if he's like Bastian from GX, he could, hehe. And cool that you'll read the side fic. Hopefully school will be kinder to you soon.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, true, she can dish out some 'tough love' at times. The main reason I focus on the incident with Gozaburo was mostly to show how much Illidan subconsciously blamed himself for the incident. He knew he wasn't really to blame for what happened, but deep down, he still blamed himself for what happened to all his friends.**

**Well, that's all I have this morning. Sheesh, I hate 6-2 shifts for work. At least it'll soon be over, and I can just get up at one certain time always. Anyways, enough bellyaching about work, so you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 64**

Marie drew and smiled at Illidan, saying "Alright Illidan, since you said I could go first, I'll begin by playing my Shining Angel (1400/800) to the field in attack mode." A male angel with large golden wings and blonde hair then appeared on the field.

"Next I'll set one card face down. Finally, I'll play the field card called Sanctuary of the Sky!" Suddenly a large sanctuary then appeared behind Marie, and the field appeared as a blue sky with white fluffy clouds.

"This field card gives all fairy type monsters the ability to turn all damage done to them to zero. So, I'll lose no life points when you attack my fairy monsters. I'll now end my turn." (Marie 8000, Illidan 8000)

Glancing at what was out, Illidan silently thought "_Hmm, what is she up to? Her monster isn't that strong, but I bet she set a trap or a magic card to increase her monsters attack points. Yeah, that'd fool anyone but me seeing how I know how her deck works._"

Illidan then drew and looked at his hand. He held Magic Cylinder, Breaker the Magical Warrior, Sangan, Mirror Force, Alpha the Magnet Warrior, and his newly drawn Monster Reborn. Smiling, he said "Alright Marie, I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode." A mage cloaked in a maroon robe, with an odd hat, and carrying a sword and shield appeared on the field. He was looking down when summoned, but quickly glanced up at the male angel.

"Now that he's summoned, Breaker's special effect is activated. He now gains one spell counter, which raises his attack points by 300 points (1900/1000)." The mage's sword then glowed as a small ring of light appeared on his sword, which increased his strength.

"Next, I'll activate Breaker's special effect. By removing his spell counter, it allows him to destroy one magic or trap card on the field, and I'll have him destroy your face down card with his effect!" The mage pulled his sword close as the small ring of light filled his sword. He then swung his sword, which threw an energy wave at the Marie's face down card. As the card image was being slashed, the card was revealed to be a trap card known as Castle Walls.

Shocked, Illidan asked "You're face down was Castle Walls?"

Marie let out a small giggle and replied "Yes it was. Shocked?"

Illidan only stood there, thinking "_More than shocked. Why would she set that card? She knows Castle Walls only works on monsters in defense, so why bother?_" Suddenly, the answer came to him. "_She wanted me to do it. She knew I couldn't resist trying to destroy her face down with something, which meant I'd have to waste at least one card. Clever little vixen, isn't she._"

Sighing, Illidan said "Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroy her Shining Angel with Magical Sword Slash!" The maroon cloaked mage then charged across the field and jumped up into the air and made a downward slash into the male angel, who screamed in pain as he was instantly destroyed.

Marie only lightly giggled at this, saying "Thanks to that move Illidan, my Shining Angel's special effect is activated. I can now special summon a new light attribute monster with 1500 or less attack points in attack mode from my deck. And I'll choose another Shining Angel (1400/800)!" Another male angel with golden wings then appeared on the field to replace the old one.

"And don't forget Illidan, thanks to my field card, I lost no life points due to our last skirmish."

Lightly chuckling, Illidan nodded, saying "Yeah, but you gave me a chance to attack again. I now invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Now I can have my Breaker attack a second time. Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack her Shining Angel with Magical Sword Slash!" The mage once again crossed the field and slashed the weaker male angel as he had done the last one.

Marie only gave a little giggle again, saying "Thanks to that move Illidan, I can now special summon another Shining Angel (1400/800)." Yet another male angel with golden wings then took the field to replace it's fallen comrade.

Slightly sighing, Illidan replied "Fine, I'll set one card face down and end my turn." (Marie 8000, Illidan 8000)

Drawing, Marie smiled and said "Nice moves Illidan, but now I'll show you how to truly duel. Watch as I sacrifice my Shining Angel for Airknight Parshath (1900/1400) in attack mode." The male angel disappeared in a flash to be replaced by an angel that looked like a combo of an angel and horse. It really looked like an ancient creature known as a centaur, but instead of a warrior half, it was an angel half.

"Next, I'll remove from play my two Shining Angel's in my Graveyard in order to special summon my Soul of Purity and Light (2000/1800) in attack mode." Suddenly, another angel appeared on the field, this one looking more like a spirit than an angel.

Up in the crowd, Joey said "I've never seen Marie play that monster." Everyone in the crowd seemed to be a buzz over the new monster.

On the field, Illidan only stared on, knowing he had seen it. "_I've seen it, but rarely. She hardly ever plays this monster. Marie must want to take me down awfully bad for her to play this one._"

Marie then grinned, saying "Next I'll play the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, allowing me to destroy one magic or trap card on the field!" Suddenly a whirlwind appeared and plowed through the face down card on Illidan's side. It was soon revealed to be Magic Cylinder, a powerful trap card.

Lightly growling, Illidan realized he was now no longer safe from her two monsters.

"Time to wipe out your monster Illidan. Airknight Parshath, attack his Breaker the Magical Warrior with Fairy Slash!" The angel/human combo then galloped across the field and slashed the robed mage. The mage desperately tried to use his shield to save himself, but the shield broke, causing his to be destroyed in the process.

"Next my Airknight's special effect is activated. I get to draw one new card from my deck. Also, my Deck Master's special effect is activated. Since my fairy monster destroyed one of your monsters, I gain the total of the destroyed monster's attack points added to my life points." The pink skinned angel with golden wings then glowed as she transferred the power from the battle to Marie's life points.

"Soul of Purity and Light, direct attack Illidan with your Sphere of Pure Light!" The spirit angel spread her wings and sent a sphere of white energy straight at Illidan. It hit him hard, making him slide backwards a slight bit, but not enough to knock him down.

"That ends my move." (Marie 9600, Illidan 5700)

Illidan drew and frowned at his card. "I'll set a monster in defense mode. Next I'll set one card face down. That ends my move." (Marie 9600, Illidan 5700)

Marie smiled and said "Well Illidan, I'm surprised you didn't try to fight me. Watch as I summon my Spirit of the Harp (800/2000) in defense mode." A woman dressed in yellow with a harp then appeared on the field in a sitting position.

"Airknight Parshath, attack Illidan's face down monster with Fairy Slash!" The combo monster then galloped across the field and slashed at the defense position card image. As the combo monster neared, an orange fur ball creature with three eyes and green arms and legs then appeared with his arms crossed. The fairy slashed the fur ball in half without a bit of hesitation. The explosion from the fur ball's destruction then crashed into Illidan, making him slide back yet again.

Shocked at what happened, Illidan asked "What? Why did I lose life points from your attack?"

Lightly giggling like she always did, Marie replied "You should know Illidan that Airknight's special effect does damage even when your monster is in defense. Basically, it's a trample effect. Also, I get to draw one new card for Airknight's effect. Next, my Deck Master adds your Sangan's (1000/600) attack points to my life points. Now hurry up and use your Sangan's effect."

Illidan lightly growled and pulled his deck out to look it over. He quickly picked his Gamma the Magnet Warrior for his monster's effect and then showed it to Marie, who nodded with approval. He then shuffled his deck and put it back in the Duel Disk Deck Slot.

Marie seemed very focused now and said "Soul of Purity and Light, direct attack Illidan with Sphere of Pure Light!" The spirit angel then threw another sphere of white energy straight at Illidan.

As the attack was nearing him, Illidan said "Not this time Marie! I reveal my face down magic card, Scapegoat! This brings out four Scapegoat Tokens (0/0) to the field in defense mode, which will defend my life points!" Four little goats then appeared on the field, blocking the attack for Illidan.

Marie only shrugged, saying "I'll just have Soul of Purity and Light's attack redirect to a Scapegoat Token instead." The attack that was already in play then smashed into the blue goat creature, making it disappear in a flash of light.

"That'll end my move Illidan." (Marie 10600, Illidan 4400)

Illidan stared at his deck for a moment and drew his card, which he smiled at when he saw it. "It's time I turn this duel around, and it begins with this card, my magic card Pot of Greed. Now I draw two new cards."

He smiled yet again at his new cards, and said "Next I play the magic card Snatch Steal, which allows me to take control one of your monsters on the field. Of course, you gain 1000 life points on your Standby Phase, but I don't intend on worrying about that. So, I'll use Snatch Steal to steal your Soul of Purity and Light!" The spirit angel then suddenly crossed the field and joined Illidan on his side.

Marie only chuckled, saying "Thanks, you'll just keep adding to my life points on my turn."

Illidan only laughed, saying "Really? Well, I'll fix that now by sacrificing your monster for my Jinzo (2400/1500)!" The spirit angel then disappeared in a small flash of light as the powerful cyborg in green and black appeared in her place. As he traditionally done, the cyborg then crossed his arms in front of himself.

"Jinzo, attack Marie's Airknight Parshath with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg stretched out one hand and fired a sphere of black energy at the angel/horse combo. The blast struck the creature, making it yell out in pain as it exploded.

"Now my Deck Master's special ability kicks in. Jinzo, attack her Spirit of the Harp with Cyber Energy Shock!" Powering up again, the cyborg then threw yet another strong blast from his right hand straight at the weaker yellow clothed woman. She screamed as the blast struck her, making her explode like her other fallen comrades.

"To end my turn, I'll set one card face down." (Marie 10600, Illidan 4400)


	65. Chapter 65: Battle of the Lovers, Pt 2

**Hello once more. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the opening chapter of Illidan and Marie's duel. At any rate, onto the reviews now.**

**thehyperactivecow: Very true. I once stayed up all night reading a fan fic called Otherworld. The author had two of them published, and I just couldn't stop reading it. Try as I may, I couldn't, lol. She could win… Never know about that silly girl.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yay, someone feels sorry for him! You'll find a boyfriend one day, trust me. It took me some time, but I found a wonderful girlfriend, one I love very much whom I intend on marrying (soon, I hope). Ryou, you know, she's great for you. Ryou: Hell no! Watches Ryou run away.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Happy day that school is almost over for you. Yeah, Marie is sneaky like that. She can surprise you, sometimes, hehe. It depends on when I have work. Like yesterday, I was up at 5 in the morning, so I update then. When I work later in the day, I update around 11 or so.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: It is something to be feared indeed. Well, my fiancé is a good duelist, but as good as Marie, I'm not sure. Gets smacked in the back of head by fiancé. I mean she's a great duelist… who just isn't as good as Marie. Smacked again. Sighs But really, she is a good duelist in real life, she's just not super or whatever. We still duel, and she's pretty good, although she says I win too much sometimes, hehe. Yep, she has a few surprises for Illidan. As for Gozaburo controlling her during this duel… We'll see, hehe.**

**Well, that's all for me. I'll post more tomorrow, and in the meantime, don't forget to check out my fiancé's story. You can find it at ****Cartoon-Protector****, and check under The History of the Millennium Items. So, till tomorrow, enjoy.**

**Chapter 65**

Marie smiled, saying "Not bad Illidan. I was beginning to wonder if you'd rebound or not. I see now that you can and will, but don't think I'm done yet. Now, I'll remove from play from my Graveyard my last Shining Angel and my Spirit of the Harp in order to special summon another Soul of Purity and Light (2000/1800) to the field in attack mode." The same monster Marie had played a turn back showed up on the field to replace the former one.

Illidan could only lightly growl at this, curious to what Marie was up to.

"Next I'll play the equip magic card Silver Bow and Arrow, and equip it to Soul of Purity and Light, which raises it's stats by 300 (2300/2100)." A silver bow and arrow then appeared in front of the spirit angel. It grabbed both and fitted the arrow into the bow, ready to fire at anything that tried to attack it.

"Next I'll summon my Hysteric Fairy (1800/500) in attack mode." An angel with glasses and blue hair then appeared on the field. She was also holding some books as well.

"Soul of Purity and Light, destroy one of Illidan's Scapegoats with Silver Arrow Blast!" The spirit angel then pulled back on the arrow and released the arrow which glowed, letting off a stream of silver as it shot through the weaker orange goat creature.

"Hysteric Fairy, use Fairy Blast on another Scapegoat!" The fair straightened its glasses with one hand and fired a blast from her eyes, which hit the pink goat creature. The creature shrieked as it exploded.

"That'll end my turn." (Marie 10600, Illidan 4400)

Curious to Marie's actions, Illidan's mind began wondering what her move was really doing. "_What was the point of her summoning those two monsters? She knows I can easily destroy her two monsters with Jinzo, so why bother? I guess I'll just have to teach her the hard way that it's not about how many monsters you have, it's about what they can do._"

Illidan drew and smiled at his Slate Warrior card. He then glanced up at Marie and said "I summon Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode." Suddenly a bluish fiend with golden armor appeared. On his back was his large halberd that could slash through anything.

"Jinzo, attack her Hysteric Fairy with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg let out a low moan and powered up. It then stuck out it's hand and fired a sphere of black energy straight at the weaker fairy, which was easily destroyed by the blast.

"I now invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Jinzo, take down Marie's Soul of Purity and Light with Cyber Energy Shock!" Once again powering up, the cyborg raised it's hand again and fired yet another sphere of black energy. This time though, the blast didn't hit it's mark. The spirit angel moved out of the line of fire as the blast was about to hit.

Shocked, Illidan said "Why didn't the blast hit?"

Marie only innocently giggled and waved a finger at Illidan, saying "Silly, you forgot my Soul of Purity and Light's special effect. During each of your battle phases, Soul of Purity and Light lowers your monsters attack points by 300 (2100/1500) (1600/400). So, that means you just attacked a weaker monster with your monster, and you know that means. Soul of Purity and Light, counter attack with Silver Arrow Blast!" The spirit angel then pulled back on it's bow and formed an arrow. It released the new arrow, which had a silver trail behind it as it flew through the air. The arrow then hit it's mark, which was the cyborg. It let out a mechanical moan as it was easily pierced by the arrow and exploded.

Lightly growling, Illidan realized what happened. "_She played me for a fool again. I should have known that monster's effect. Now what?_"

Looking at his hand, he sighed and said "I'll set one card face down. Now I'll end my move." (Marie 13000, Illidan 4100)

Before Marie drew, she closed her eyes for a moment. She then looked up at Illidan, saying "I hope you aren't holding back on my Illidan. I want a real duel, and if you're holding back, you're wasting my time along with your own. So, tell me in all honesty, are you holding back still? I know you, and you always held back against me. I want a real fight, not a fake one like you used to do to me."

Standing there, Illidan only pondered her words. "_Holding back? I'm trying for all I can to beat her, yet she says I'm holding back? Maybe… Just maybe that does explain why I didn't think about her monster's effect. If I'd thought about it, I would have not attacked her monster. Possibly subconsciously I am still, but no more of that. I'm going to fight her with all I have!_"

Looking up into her beautiful brown eyes, Illidan said "Perhaps I was, but now I'm ready to fight for real. So let's continue."

Smiling back at Illidan, Marie then drew her next card and said "I'll summon The Forgiving Maiden (850/2000) in defense mode." An older woman dressed in odd black robes appeared on the field in a sitting position.

"Now, let's see. Hmm, you have a face down card, so I won't attack this turn. I end my move." (Marie 13000, Illidan 4100)

Sighing, Illidan realized she read him like the cover of a book. "_She knew that I had something up my sleeve. Well, I'll just have to try harder to beat her._"

Drawing his next card, he only smiled, saying "I play Graceful Charity! This allows me to draw three new cards from my deck, but forces me to discard two from my hand when I'm done." He picked up his three new cards and smirked at them.

"I discard my Dark Magician of Chaos and my Thunder Nyan Nyan from my hand to the Graveyard. Next I play Monster Reborn, allowing me to bring back my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode!" Suddenly a pentagram of flames formed on the field. Within the flames slowly rose a black armor clad mage. His blue face shimmered in the flames as he slowly rose. His eyes were closed and his head was looking downward. Once he was fully on the field, his head raised and he opened his eyes to reveal yellow corneas and blood red irises. Just by opening his eyes, the flames extinguished due to the force of his magical energies.

Smiling now, Illidan said "Thanks to his resurrection, I can return one magic card from the Graveyard to my hand, and I'll choose Monster Reborn. I then play it again in order to resurrect Jinzo (2400/1500)!" The cyborg in green and black then reappeared on the field beside of the powerful mage.

"I'm not done yet! I now remove from play from my Graveyard my Thunder Nyan Nyan and Breaker the Magical Warrior in order to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" The mighty black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field as he spread his wings. He let out a terrible roar, trying hard to show everyone he was the top dog on the field.

Illidan beamed with pride as three of his most powerful monsters were on the field, ready to take down Marie. "Chaos Emperor Dragon, use Chaos Blaster on Marie's Soul of Purity and Light!" The mighty dragon roared and opened it's mouth, letting a blast of black energy pour from it. The blast struck the weaker spirit angel, making it cry out as it was destroyed.

"Now I invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack Marie's The Forgiving Maiden with Chaos Blaster!" The dragon roared again and let loose another stream of black energy. It found it's mark, hitting the black robed woman, making her scream as she was thoroughly destroyed by the blast.

"Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack Marie's life points now with Chaos Scepter Blast!" Twirling his scepter, the mage then aimed straight at Marie, letting loose a powerful blast of black energy from the staff. The blast struck Marie hard, knocking her backwards slightly, but she remained standing tall.

"Jinzo, direct attack Marie now with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg raised his hand at Marie and let a blast of dark energy escape his palm, which struck Marie hard, but still, she remained standing. All that had happened was she slid back slightly again.

"Slate Warrior, it's your turn to direct attack with Fiend Slash!" The blue fiend jumped into the air and grabbed the hilt of his halberd. In a simple motion, he pulled it off his back and slashed Marie hard with it, making her slide back once again.

"I'll end my move." (Marie 7000, Illidan 4100)

Marie only giggled after Illidan had ended his turn. Curious, his thoughts became filled with "_Why is she giggling? She should be worried that I'll defeat her._"

She finally stopped giggling and drew her card, saying "Illidan, I was worried you wouldn't be able to make a comeback there for a moment, but now I see you can. You're finally serious about this duel with me at last. So, I'll get more serious as well. Watch as I first a magic card known as Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw till we hold six cards in our hands."

Illidan drew his cards, pleased with what he now had. He'd drawn Kuriboh, Spirit Reaper, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and Mystical Space Typhoon.

Marie only lightly giggled innocently as she said "Now I special summon my 2 x Watapon (200/300) in defense mode." Two little white dust bunny like creatures with blue eyes and antenna then appeared on the field.

Curious, Illidan interrupted, saying "Wait, how did you do that?"

Smiling, Marie explained by saying "Their special effect allows them to automatically be special summoned when a card allowed me to draw an extra card or cards. Since I played Card of Sanctity, and I drew both from that, they were special summoned. Next I play the ritual magic card Shinato's Ark!" A huge ark then appeared on the field.

Illidan's mind quickly realized he'd seen this card before, and knew what it did. "_This is the same ritual card that summons Shinato, King of a Higher Plane. If it's anything like Noa's Deck Master, I'll have my hands full in a moment._"

"In order to special summon Shinato, I must first make a sacrifice of monsters totaling eight stars. So, I'll send my Wingweaver (2750/2400) from my hand, which has seven stars, and a Watapon from my field, which has one star, to the Graveyard. This allows me to special summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000)!" The ark then glowed as it's doors opened to reveal a large blue skinned angel with huge golden wings.

Marie only grinned at this sight, but then said "I'm far from done yet. Notice I still hold one more card in my hand. So, I sacrifice my Watapon for The Agent of Judgment – Saturn (2400/0)!" A new blue skinned angel that had blue wings then appeared on the field.

Suddenly, Illidan's mind warned him of what he saw. "_I've seen this monster before. This is how she's beaten many people. She gains a tremendous amount of life points and then uses its effect. She's trying to do the same to me. But I hopefully will be ready._"

"Shinato, destroy Illidan's Chaos Emperor Dragon with Cosmic Halo!" Twelve spheres of light appeared in front of the large blue skinned angel. The spheres then began to spin in a circle till they formed what looked like a ring, or more like a halo. Then the angel motioned with his hand for the halo to cross the field. The halo tore through the black dragon easily, making it roar in pain as it was finally destroyed.

"Now my Deck Master's special ability kicks in. The attack points of your monster are now added to my life points." The pink skinned angel then glowed as she transferred the fallen monster's attack points over to Marie's life points.

"Saturn, destroy Illidan's last Scapegoat with Judgement Blast!" The weaker of the two blue skinned angels then fired a blue beam from her one hand straight at the final red goat, which was easily smashed by the attack.

"Unfortunately I can't finish you off this turn, but don't worry, I will next turn with my two monsters. For now, I'll end my move." (Marie 9800, Illidan 3800)


	66. Chapter 66: Battle of the Lovers, Pt 3

**Hello once more people. Oi, it's early, lol. I hate 6-2 shifts still, but I only have one more day of it, so happy days. Sigh Life is so cruel sometimes… Anyways, onto the reviews.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Why Baghdad? Why not somewhere farther, lol. Watches the cat fight start. Yep, should have definitely sold tickets. Could have made some money. Ryou: Yep, and you could have been rich old chap.**

**Brianna Ishtar: She sure is, at the moment. Continues to watch the cat fight. I'm taking bets now! Who shall win the fight and claim Ryou as their own! Place your bets now! Ryou: Someone save me!**

**thehyperactivecow: Thanks for the correction. Some of them I've yet to find in this story. And yeah, everytime he gains a little momentum, Marie just takes him down a notch once more. We'll see if he can make it or not though.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, they are truly fighting it out this time. You're right about the show though, although, in Yugi and Yami's duel, the two seemed almost evenly matched, other than when Yami summoned all three Egyptian Gods, leaving Yugi in a difficult position. Sniffle You want Illidan to lose! Bawls eyes out! But seriously, we'll see. Never know, he could lose.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Both are throwing all they have at one another. Neither one is holding out on the other, which is what I was going for. LOL! Yep, nothing like a battle to destroy one another to make for a romantic date. As for the archlords making an appearance, it's possible. Marie would only use one of them though, seeing how it's a Fairy type monster, if she used any at all. He will have to really work in order to win this duel, seeing how Marie can instantly boost her points by destroying one of Illidan's monsters.**

**Well, that's all I have. I have to go to work and sulk this morning. Sigh Maybe I'll talk about it tomorrow. For this morning, I'm just going to sulk. Later all.**

**Chapter 66**

Sighing with a relief, Illidan then realized the predicament he was in. "_If I attack her Saturn, I'll be rid of it, but what if she draws Monster Reborn or something else to bring it back? I'll be in major trouble at that time. Hmm, I have to be careful here. One wrong move and I'm history._"

Looking at his hand, Illidan tried to figure out what he could do. He had all three of his Magnet Warriors, but still, no Valkyrion yet. Closing his eyes, Illidan drew and only could smile at the card he just drew when he looked again.

Grinning like Joey usually did, he said "Sorry Marie, but you aren't going to take me down that easily. I now send Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior from my hand to the Graveyard in order to special summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3800)!" All three Magnet Warriors then appeared on the field and began to disassemble. Slowly, the three then formed together, creating the huge warrior that carried a large sword.

"Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, destroy Marie's Shinato with Magna Strike!" The large metallic warrior took off and came swinging down hard with its sword. The blue skinned angel was instantly destroyed from the blow.

"Thanks to my Deck Master, I can attack again. Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, destroy Marie's The Agent of Judgment – Saturn with Magna Strike!" Letting out a metallic battle cry, the monster once again took to the sky and slashed the weaker blue angel this time. The hit instantly took down the weaker angel.

"Now that you're wide open, it's time to hit you hard. Dark Magician of Chaos, Jinzo, and Slate Warrior, direct attack with Chaos Scepter Blast, Cyber Energy Shock, and Fiend Slash!" All three then made their attacks. The mage fired his powerful blast of black energy, followed by the cyborg who fired a powerful sphere of black energy, and finally followed up by the blue fiend that slashed Marie hard. Marie was struck by the three attacks simultaneously, knocking her to the ground hard.

"_I wish I didn't have to be so rough with her, but I had no choice. It was my one opportunity to take some points off her._" he chided in his mind.

She slowly got up, panting hard from the three hits. It was evident that she had taken a pretty good hit from his attacks this round.

Slowly, Illidan began remembering the duel Marie had had the day before with Yugi, or more like Yami. He remembered being in the stands as Yami played Pot of Greed, allowing him to have two more cards. Marie had Watapon and Hysteric Angel out. Yami had Big Shield Guardna and Kuriboh out. Thanks to his draw, he'd picked up Watapon as well, which was automatically summoned to the field. Now he had his three monsters out, which allowed him to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon.

Yami then used his dragon to take out Marie's Hysteric Angel. Of course, she had her field card Sanctuary of the Sky out, so she got no damage. The problem for Yami was, she had 10,100 life points while Yami only had 100 left. He laid one card down and ended his turn.

When she drew, Marie had a sparkle of mischief in her eye, like she was ready to finish the duel. "It's over for you! Watch as I sacrifice my Watapon for The Agent of Judgment – Saturn (2400/0)!" The blue skinned angel with blue wings then appeared on the field in all its glory. Of course, Slifer's special effect was triggered, reducing Saturn's attack points by 2000 (400/0).

That didn't matter to Marie though, for she only laughed as Slifer had reduced her monsters points.

"Why are you laughing Marie? Don't you realize your monster is weaker now?" asked a surprised Yami.

Marie only continued to giggle innocently, saying "Yes, I do, but that wasn't my plan. I activate The Agent of Judgment – Saturn's special effect. I can sacrifice her in order to do the following. We take the difference in my life points and yours and subtract it from your life points. Therefore, you will lose the duel. Now Saturn, blast away 10000 of Yami's life points! It's over Yami!"

The blue skinned angel then began to glow and took to the sky. It then went soaring in straight for Yami directly. As it neared Yami, Yami showed no fear. And soon enough, he showed why by revealing a trap card.

"Sorry Marie, but not this time. I activate my trap card called Barrel Behind the Door! This trap sends the damage I'd receive due to your card right back at you!" he called out as the blast was about to hit. The blast then halted right in front of Yami and suddenly reversed right back at Marie.

All she could do was brace herself for the impending impact. The blast was so strong it knocked her off her feet. She went flying backwards into the wall of the tower hard before falling to the ground with a sickening thud.

"MARIE!" screamed Illidan. He had felt like running out to gather her up in his arms, but he knew if he interfered, she'd automatically lose.

Yami started to run to her to check on her, but the judge stepped in, saying "You must finish the duel. That is the orders by Gozaburo himself. Now, please continue the duel."

Shocked at these words, Yami replied "Can't you see her laying there! I won't continue…"

"No, don't." came a hoarse voice.

Yami looked over, full of concern to see Marie slowly getting up. She was still shaking from the blast with wisps of smoke coming off of her from where her monster's attack had hit her directly.

She was barely standing and was panting heavily, just struggling to remain standing. With fierce eyes, she then looked up at Yami, saying in a raspy voice "I'm … not done … yet. So, don't even … think of giving … up. It's still … my … move."

Yami only stared in disbelief, shaking his head and saying "Marie, you can't be seriously considering continuing after a blast like that. You should give up now, and save your strength."

Marie only lightly chuckled with great difficulty and finally said "No, I … don't … quit. So, it's still … my move."

Summoning all of her remaining strength it seemed, she said "I place three … cards face down. That … ends … my move."

Marie was barely still standing there, but showed no signs of back down. Yami seemed unsure of what to do. If he gave up, that meant he'd lose, but if he continued, Marie could get hurt worse. The young man just didn't know what to do.

He then heard "Come on … Yami. Continue, or are you … giving up?"

He stared up into Marie's determined eyes. Even while she was hurting, she refused to give up the fight.

Sighing, Yami said "Alright then Marie, you asked for it. I draw, giving Slifer 1000 more attack points! Now he has 3000 total attack points. Even though our life points are equal, they won't be for long."

In the crowd, Joey was talking to Tea, saying "Yugi had better not attack Marie. It's too big a gamble. With only 100 life points each, he shouldn't gamble that way."

Tea had a totally shocked look on her face, saying "You're one to talk. You always gamble."

Joey only smirked, but replied "Only when the odds are with me. When they're this big, I don't take a chance. Marie has a plan I think, and Yugi is walking right into a trap."

After a minute of hesitation, Yami finally made his decision, saying "Slifer the Sky Dragon, direct attack Marie's life points with Thunder Force!" Slifer roared and let loose his powerful stream of energy at Marie.

Marie only smirked and weakly said "I activate … Nutrient Z! This … trap activates when I receive 2000 … or more life points of damage. It … adds 4000 life … points to my score before the blast. So, I'll … survive your att..." The blast hit about that time, which cut off what she was saying.

Marie was thrown backwards into the wall yet again by the force of the hit. She landed hard on the ground with a sickening thud once again, just like before. She attempted to at first to get up, but then fell back down, unable to move.

"MARIE!" screamed Illidan. He quickly made his way to the edge of the stands, ready to jump out onto the field when he was interrupted.

"Enter the ring and you'll be stripped of your titles!" yelled the judge.

Illidan only glared at the judge, not really caring about his titles at the moment, but he then remembered he had to keep them up in order to fulfill his destiny most likely. Sighing, he nodded.

The judge then said "I must now administer a ten count. If Marie is unable to get up at the end of the count, Yugi Moto will automatically win the duel."

Impatiently, Illidan waited for the stupid count. The judge counted all the way to ten, and by no surprise, Marie didn't get up. He then declared Marie the loser by count out and Yugi the automatic winner.

But to Yami and Illidan, that didn't matter. They both ran to Marie's side, checking on her and trying to wake her up. Bakura soon ran over and used his Millennium Ring to heal her. She woke up immediately after the healing process and apologized to Yami for not being able to finish.

Yami only replied that it was alright, and that it didn't matter. Illidan only held onto Marie tightly and kissed her forehead. He then picked her up bridal style and carried her to the elevator. He took her to the infirmary to make sure she was completely alright. After a quick check up, the infirmary confirmed that she was alright and they returned to the top of the tower to watch the other duels.

"Illidan, you still with us?" asked Marie, who woke him up from his memory of the day before.

Waking up fully, he had to admit he hated doing what he did. As bad as he hated it though, he had had no choice. No matter what, he did have to continue. It was his destiny to stop Gozaburo from taking over the world. No, it was his duty, not just his destiny.


	67. Chapter 67: Battle of the Lovers, Pt 4

**Hello once more people of the internet. Damn, it's too early to be up, lol. Anyways, today is my last day of work at my old job, and next week, I begin a new job. Hurray, no more standing on my feet for eight hours straight! I'm ever so happy about that, due that I'm flat footed and my left foot's arch aches like hell after a while. At any rate, time to answer some reviews.**

**thehyperactivecow: Yep, that's how Yami won. Valkyrion should help Illidan out in his match, but just due that he has a strong monster don't mean it'll win the duel for him. We'll see though.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yeah, poor Marie. Watches Brianna get kicked. Poor Brianna, lol. Sells tickets for the cat fight. Come one, come all, watch the fight for Ryou! Gets smacked in the back of the head by fiancé. I mean, break it up, yeah…**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, I figured since I said he was remembering the duel she had had the day before, you might see the transfer. But yeah, he doesn't want to hurt her, much like another time they dueled. You'll see it later in my story, but also if, and that is if and when, lol, my fiancé ever gets more done on her story, you'll be able to read all about it. And I'm sure you'll find a guy like that. Some guys still have a sense of decency and honor left in them. Some though, but not many, sadly.**

**Well, as promised, I'm posting two chapters, which will finish out the duel between the two lovers. Enjoy, and remember to check out my fiancés' story. The link is in my profile, and in the previous chapter. Later all.**

**Chapter 67**

Sighing, Illidan finally said "Alright Marie, I end my turn right now." (Marie 2700, Illidan 3800)

Marie only smiled at this. She may have been a little low on strength due to his attacks, but she was still going strong. She drew and only smiled yet again, saying "I play the magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards." She then drew her two cards to only smile yet again.

"Now I play the magic card known as Upstart Goblin. This allows me to draw one more card, but gives you 1000 more life points." She then drew her next card. She smiled only once again at this card.

"Next, I play the magic card known as Card of Demise. Now I draw till I hold five cards in my hand, but I must discard my entire hand in five turns." She drew yet again, seemingly carefully studying her new cards.

After a moment, Marie finally smiled and said "It's time I turn this duel around. And it begins with this. I summon The Agent of Force – Mars (0/0) in attack mode!" A red winged fairy with dark wings and an axe then appeared.

Curious, Illidan asked "What are you up to Marie? You know your monster has 0 stats, so why play him?"

Marie only giggled innocently, saying "I gave you additional 1000 life points for a reason Illidan. Now it's time to show you why. I play this magic card, Lighten the Load. This magic card allows me to send one level seven monster from my hand to my deck and then draw one new card. So, I add my Wingweaver to my deck, and then shuffle. Now I draw one new card."

She slowly drew the card and then looked at it. She only smiled at the sight of it, saying "It's over Illidan. First, I'll set three cards face down, and next I play the magic card Reversal Quiz!"

Illidan only scratched his head at the mention of this magic card. "_I haven't heard of that card. It can't be good though._"

Smiling still, Marie said "Here's how it works Illidan. I must discard my entire hand. So, I send my Wingweaver to the Graveyard. Next I must declare a card type. I have the choice of monster, magic, or trap. I then draw a card from the top of my deck. If I guess right, our life points will switch."

Shocked, Illidan said with wide eyes "HUH? You mean we'll switch life points?"

Marie only giggled innocently as she always did and nodded. Shocked, Illidan's thoughts went wild. "_Good grief, if we switch life points now, I'll be in a mess._"

"It's time Illidan. Of course, if I guess wrong, nothing happens and I'll be defenseless, and more than likely I'll lose this duel. But if I guess right, your life points become mine and my life points become yours. So, let's see what will happen. I'll choose monster as the type of card I'll draw. Here goes." Marie only closed her eyes and slowly drew her next card.

In the meantime, Illidan was slightly sweating, thinking of what would happen. "_If she guessed right, I'm in real trouble. But if she guessed wrong, I'll be still in charge of this duel._"

Marie finally opened her eyes and smiled at her new card. She then showed Illidan the card, which was Shining Friendship, the card he had given to her as a present. It was indeed a monster card.

Lightly chuckling, she said "Well, well, looks like I guessed right. Now our life points switch."

Illidan's 4800 life points then transferred over to Marie, and Marie's 2700 life points transferred over to Illidan. Letting out a light growl, all Illidan could do now was watch in horror. "_Great, I'm in trouble now. Wait, why am I worried? She only has one monster out, and its attack points are zero. So I'm safe, I hope._"

Marie then lightly giggled again, saying "I have another surprise for you Illidan. Notice that I summoned another Agent card. This card has a special ability as well, but its effect couldn't activate while I had such low life points. But now that my life points are much higher than yours, I can activate The Agent of Force – Mars's effect. And here is how it works. It takes the difference in our life points and makes that its attack and defense points. Since I now have 4800 life points, and you have 2700, his attack and defense points are 2100 each (2100/2100)!" The red fairy then glowed with power now.

Illidan only lightly chuckled, saying "Your move has some major flaws Marie. You only have a monster out with 2100, which is only strong enough to take on one of my monsters. There is no way you can win this duel now."

Marie only giggled innocently again, saying "Oh really? I didn't notice. Oh wait, I did. That's why I set two cards face down, and now I'll reveal them. I first reveal my two face down magic cards known as Dian Keto the Cure Master! Each raise my life points by 1000, meaning I gain a total of 2000 life points!" Marie's life point counter then went up as her red fairy then glowed as the difference in life points changed by 2000 (4100/4100).

All Illidan could do was growl as he saw his advantage slip away. Marie only looked at him with a serious look, saying "By the way Illidan, that means my monster is the strongest on the field. So prepare to lose this duel. The Agent of Force – Mars, destroy Illidan's Valkyrion the Magna Warrior with Force Destruction!" The red angel powered up and fired a huge red beam from his axe at the large pieced together warrior. The large warrior then took the hit, exploding into millions of pieces.

"I now get to add your Valkyrion's attack points to my life points, which only makes Mars even stronger. He's only going to continue to grow stronger too (8100/8100). I end my move." (Marie 10300, Illidan 2200)

"_Her monster is much stronger than any of mine currently, and it only gets stronger with each of my monsters she destroys. But there has to be a way to stop her. I can't give up._" thought Illidan as he assessed the field.

Illidan drew his next card and looked at it. It was only his other Slate Warrior. Sighing, he said "I'll switch my monsters all to defense mode and then I'll set one monster on the field in defense mode. That ends my turn." (Marie 10300, Illidan 2200)

Marie drew quickly and said "Very well Illidan. I'll summon The Agent of Wisdom – Mercury (0/1700) in defense mode." A new angel appeared on the field. This one was green and with rather large green wings. He was hunkered down though in a defense position.

"Mars, attack Illidan's Dark Magician of Chaos with Force Destruction!" The red angel once again powered up and sent a huge blast of red energy at the blue skinned mage who was easily blown away by the attack.

"That ends my move Illidan. By the way, Mars only got stronger that turn (10900/10900). Of course, in my End Phase, Mercury's special effect activates. Since I hold no cards in my hand, I get to draw an extra card in my Standby Phase next turn. It's your move now." (Marie 13100, Illidan 2200)

Illidan only softly growled at this. "_Her monster only got stronger last turn. And now I'm beginning to feel the fury of her Agent cards. There has to be a way to stop that monster. Hmm, I have to think of a way to turn destroy it. Now it has too many attack points though. How can I destroy it when it's so much stronger than anything I have?_"

Standing there, Illidan finally realized he had to draw. He drew his card and looked. Still nothing to help me win the duel though. It was only his Exchange magic card.

Sighing, he said "I set a monster. That ends my turn." (Marie 13100, Illidan 2200)

Marie drew again, saying "It's time to do this again. First, now that I'm in my Standby Phase, Mercury's effect from last turn activates. I get to draw another card. Next I'll summon The Agent of Creation – Venus (1600/0) in attack mode." A golden angel with three rather large spheres then appeared. The spheres formed what looked like a triangle. At the top was a purple sphere, then to the left was a red sphere, and the right was a blue sphere. Also, she had four golden wings on her back.

"Venus, destroy Illidan's Slate Warrior now with Angelic Crush!" The golden angel let out a small battle cry and sent her three spheres flying at the blue headed fiend, who was easily hit by the three spheres. Before the fiend was about to explode, he threw his halberd flying at the angel, easily slashing it through one of her wings, making her cringe in pain. Then the weaker fiend exploded from the attack.

Marie only looked at Illidan with a puzzled look, saying "What was that?"

Lightly chuckling, Illidan replied "That was my Slate Warrior's special ability. When destroyed, he weakens the monster that attacked him by 500 attack and defense points (1100/0). She will remain weakened throughout the duel now."

Marie only shrugged at this, saying "No matter to me. My attack only strengthened Mars (12800/12800)." The red angel then glowed as his power increased even more than before.

"Mars, attack Illidan's Jinzo with Force Destruction!" The red angel then slammed it's powerful energy wave from it's axe into the cyborg, making it cry out in pain as it was destroyed.

"Now I'll set one card face down. I'll end my turn. Of course, The Agent of Wisdom – Mercury's effect kicks in. By the way Illidan, Mars's attack points went up again (15200/15200). Just figured you'd like to know that." (Marie 17400, Illidan 2200)

Illidan sighed, looking over the field. His mind was lost in thought. "_Now what? She has me outnumbered big time. If I try an attack, Mars will just destroy me. I have to think of something and something fast. I bet her face down cards aren't going to be too good either. Hmm, what can I do though?_"


	68. Chapter 68: Battle of the Lovers, Pt 5

**Chapter 68**

Illidan only stood there, like a statue staring into space. "_What to do? I just can't think of a solution to beat her. Wait, there might be. I still have my Mirror Force. But she has too many life points now. It'd take forever to chop her points down to zero. There has to be another way. But what?_"

Illidan then looked at his hand for solutions. The only thing he saw in it that stuck out was Mystical Space Typhoon. "_Even if I use that, she'll still be too strong. Hmm, there has to be a way to beat her._"

Nervously, Illidan then prepared to draw his next card. His fingers touched the tip of the card as his mind raced wildly. Each second seemed more desperate than the last. "_I… I don't know if I can win. I just don't know. She has 17,400 life points, and I have a meek 2,200. There is no way to compete with her points at the moment. I… I should give up…_"

Marie, seemingly noticing Illidan's hesitation, then said "Don't even think about surrendering Illidan. You know as well as I do if you surrender, you're also surrendering your future to a madman. So please, think things through before you do make your move."

These words made Illidan feel a new surge of confidence. "_She's right. If I surrender now, my future, the world, my friends, and the woman I love are in danger. No, I can't give up! I refuse to give up! Giving up would only plunge this world into eternal darkness, meaning all would be lost! No, she's right, I can't and I won't give up!_"

With those words ringing through his head, he drew his next card to see there was still hope left. Smiling, he said "Thanks Marie for giving me the confidence to fight on, and now it's time I prove I'm the one to stop Gozaburo. So, let's continue."

Nodding, Marie only smiled, saying "Yes, let's continue, but don't think I'm going to make this easy on you."

Smiling back, Illidan only replied with "I know, and I'm grateful for you pushing me to my limits. Now, I'll play the magic card known as Mystical Space Typhoon, and I use it to destroy your field card, Sanctuary of the Sky!" A powerful typhoon then blew up and struck the ancient building behind Marie. She gasped as suddenly her building collapsed, causing the destruction of her field card and returning the field to normal.

Marie only lightly chuckled, saying "You may have destroyed my field card and taken away my advantage, but it's not over yet Illidan. I still have 17,400 life points, more than enough to weather any attacks you throw at me."

Illidan only smirked, saying "Oh really? Well, you'll love the card I'm about to play then. It's a card that'll change this duel, but first, there is a matter about your Mars. Due to the loss of your field card, he's now back down to his original stats (0/0)!" The powerful red angel then glowed as his power left him, leaving him a weak and powerless old monster.

"Still, that isn't anything to brag about due that your life points are real high, but I'm about to change that. Now, I'll move my Deck Master to the field, so move to the field my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The powerful soldier in black armor then leapt into the air from his position beside Illidan and landed onto the field beside his comrades.

"Bold move Illidan, but it'll take more than him to beat me." Marie chimed in.

Illidan only nodded, saying "Of course it will, but watch this move. Now I play the magic card Double Spell! This magic card forces me to discard one magic card, which will be Exchange, to the Graveyard. In return, I get to use one magic card from your Graveyard this turn, and the card I choose is your Reversal Quiz!"

Marie could only watch in shock as the magic card she had used flew straight out of her Graveyard and into Illidan's hand. "You can't!" she protested.

Illidan only slightly grinned, replying "I can, and I'm about to! Now, as I remember, this card forces me to discard my entire hand, which I do now. Next, I get to draw one card, but I must declare what kind of card it is, which is monster, magic, or trap. If I guess right, our life points switch, but if I guess wrong, nothing happens."

Everyone in the crowd just gasped in awe at this move. Joey was quick to say "This is the move that will either make or break Illidan. If he guesses right, Marie is through, but if he guesses wrong, she still has time to take out his Deck Master. Man, this is what dueling is all about!"

Seto only stared on, thinking "_What a fool! Rather than take his time and wait her out, he's trying some harebrained scheme that is likely to fail._"

Yugi soon enough asked Yami "Is he insane? That move is so risky."

Yami only lightly chuckled, replying with "He's always been a risk taker from what I remember Yugi, and this is the one big risk he has to take. I just wonder if it'll work out though."

Back on the field, Illidan stared at Marie with confidence in his eyes. He then looked at his deck and thought about what he could possibly draw. "_I don't know how this will turn out, but one way or another, she's going down._"

After a moment of thought, Illidan finally said "My choice of card shall be monster. Now, let's see if I just wasted my turn or not!"

He then drew and raised the card up to his view with a big smirk. Marie and the crowd were in suspense while waiting for the results. He then turned the card towards Marie, revealing that the monster he had was his favorite non-tribute monster, his Luster Dragon. Marie's mouth just opened in pure shock.

Illidan only smiled, saying "Well, since I just drew a monster card, now our life points switch, so I get 17,400, and you get 2,200. And now, you're through."

With the exchange of points, Marie just sighed, knowing it was over. She smiled at Illidan meekly, only nodding in response to his accusation.

"Black Luster Soldier, attack her Mars with Chaos Slash!" Letting out a battle cry, the soldier then charged the red winged angel with a powerful force. He quickly slashed the angel, making it cry out in pain as it was destroyed. Marie was then hit by the backwash of the attack, knocking her to her knees and dropping her life points to zero, which caused her Duel Disk to then power down.

The judge then announced "The winner of the duel, Illidan Stormrage."

Not bothering to wait any longer, Illidan quickly ran over to Marie while the judge made his usual declaration. He got down on his knees in front of her, making sure she was alright. She fell up against him. His earlier attacks had truly wore her out, and the sheer force of his soldier had just completely wiped out her strength.

She was still panting from the attack, but meekly smiled at him, flashing her eyes up to his, making him slightly sigh with contentment that she was alright. He then offered her a hand and helped her back to her feet. She tried to stand at first on her own after he had helped her up, but as Illidan thought, she didn't have much energy left. Not wanting her to fall, he leaned her body up against his own, making a crutch out of himself.

The entire group had by this time come onto the field and asked if Marie was alright. She nodded and Bakura then asked if she'd like for him to help heal her. Happy for the offer, she accepted and Bakura poured his healing powers out of the ring and into Marie's body. Soon enough, she was completely healed, head to toe.

Once she was, she turned to Illidan and hugged him, whispering "I just knew you could make a come back. I was silently rooting for you if you didn't notice."

Smiling at her, he then whispered back in her ear "Thanks."

Illidan then turned to Yami, saying "Well, it looks like it will finally come down to you and me after all."

The two stared at one another, seemingly knowing what the results of their duel would set into motion. They both knew that their duel would determine who would face Gozaburo most likely. One of the two mighty duelists would fall tomorrow. The other would be one step closer to facing Gozaburo.

Illidan then felt a tug on his arm, and noticed it was Marie. She smiled at him and then said "Good duel Illidan. I had a feeling you'd win. I'm glad that we dueled though. Congratulations."

Smiling back at her, he replied "Congratulations to yourself as well. You did a wonderful job. Now, are you happy that I didn't hold back?"

Marie and the others only laughed at the comment that Illidan had left as a taunt at Marie. She started chasing after him, yelling for him to get back there so she could beat him to death. Of course, Illidan just ran, knowing if she caught him, there'd be a thumping to pay for.

Elsewhere in the tower, Gozaburo was trashing his office as usual, growling and seething with anger, screaming "WHY WON'T HE LOSE? I HAVE THROWN ALMOST EVERYONE AT HIM, AND HE STILL WINS!"

Gozaburo only continued destroying his office. He destroyed his desk, smashed his mirror, and threw a chair through the wall. Finally, after thirty minutes of destroying his office, he slightly calmed down.

He then began laughing with insanity in his voice, saying "You may have defeated Marie, but will you defeat the pharaoh, Illidan?"


	69. Chapter 69: Demands and Rewards

**Hey people. Glad you all liked how the duel with Marie went. I had debated on him losing to her, but then the whole prophesy thing would be screwed up, leaving only Yami to carry on. Anyways, I watched the last episode of Yugioh this weekend, and it was great. Kind of sad in a way, due that I knew what would happen in the end, but oh well. Lol, of course, it messes with my story plot, but I've already screwed it up anyways, hehe. But at any rate, I had a good weekend. Got to see my fiancé and we spent some much needed time together. And now, onto the reviews.**

**thehpyeractivecow: Thanks. I made sure to make it a close duel. Will he defeat Yami, who knows? It'll be a close duel. That much anyone could guess due to the duels Illidan has had so far.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Watches Illidan possibly be barbequed. "It's REALLY HOT IN HERE! HELP ME!" Sigh Poor Illidan, lol. Ryou: "Can't we all just get along?"**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, I made sure to make the duel close. Marie was one of the tougher people. Now imagine what the duel with Yami will be back, hehe. Yep, Gozaburo will definitely have millions tied up in refurnishing his office, lol. I don't remember mentioning him getting a power card. If I did, I was more than likely referring to something that will happen later on in the story. LOL! Yep, nothing but Ramen and Energizer batteries. He keeps going, and going, and going… Of course, his stamina isn't infinite. That'll be seen soon.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Watches cat fight. Yep, I should have sold tickets. Lol, good luck with pink-kiss-candy.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, it'll be real good. Or it should, lol. Btw, thanks for reviewing my fiancé's story. She was happy to finally get a review.**

**Well, that's all I have today, so I'm going now. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and the upcoming duels as well as chapters.**

**Chapter 69**

After the day was finished out, the new stats were announced as usual. Illidan was victorious over Marie in their duel. Yugi had an easy duel against Bandit Keith, easily winning. Joey had a tougher duel, but found victory against Bakura. Seto found himself in an easy duel as well against Mai. Marik in the meanwhile found a bit of a challenge conquering Noa, but in the end he took him down.

The new stats displayed Illidan as 1st, Yugi as 2nd, Marie as 3rd, Marik as 4th, Joey as 5th, Seto as 6th, Noa as 7th, Bakura as 8th, Mai as 9th, and Keith still as 10th.

Once the duels had all ended, all the duelists headed back for their rooms. Meanwhile, Gozaburo was trying to attempt to straighten up his office. This was only the millionth time he had torn it apart due to anger.

Lightly laughing, he said "I must really learn to put my stuff in a place where I won't destroy it." He continued straightening it up when suddenly his door was kicked wide open. There stood Seto Kaiba, his own adopted son.

Grinning evilly, Gozaburo said "Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. What do you want?"

Seto only walked on into his adopted father's office with anger flaring in his eyes. Seeing this, Gozaburo took a seat in his thrown that he had taken from Seto.

With a smirk, Gozaburo said "Please, by all means, have a seat Seto…"

Seto interrupted with "I'm not here to chit chat. I want a rematch with Illidan, and I want it now!"

Gozaburo only cackled at this. He smacked his desk hard, laughing hard, finally managing to say "Sorry, but I thought you made a demand to have a rematch with Illidan."

Seto only growled, saying with much irritation in his voice "You heard right. I want a rematch, now! As a former champion, I have the right to challenge him. Also, it's in the deal with the title. If the champion loses his title, he/she has the right to a rematch. So, I'm invoking that right. Now give me a match with Illidan, or you'll be sorry!"

Gozaburo only continued to laugh, but Seto yelled "Listen pops, I'm getting fed up with you! Either you give me the match, or I'll take it up with the commission. Then you'll lose your rights to hold this little tournament and will be forced to close it down. So make the match now!"

The laughter of Gozaburo only continued. Suddenly then, the door was kicked wide open once again. There stood Bandit Keith in the frame with a look of anger on his face.

"Gozaburo, I demand a rematch for my title now!" yelled Keith.

Gozaburo only looked at him, and stopped laughing. He then seriously said "Haven't you two heard of a thing called knocking? It's bad manners to burst into someone's office and just demand something after kicking in the door."

Keith only ignored Gozaburo and pointed a finger at him, saying "I want my match! Sign it now, or else I'll turn you over to the commission that controls the titles. Then you're little tournament will be over. So start signing a match now!"

Gozaburo only looked at the two and smirked. Seto only growled at this, saying "Listen old man, my patients are growing thin. You either sign my match with Illidan for the World Championship or I'm going to go make my call now."

Keith only glared over at Seto, angrily saying "No way money bags! I'm getting my rematch now, not you!"

The two only stared off each other with Gozaburo in a mad laugh. Finally, he stopped laughing and flatly said "Denied! I deny both of you your rematches."

Both Keith and Seto turned to Gozaburo with death glares and screamed "WHAT!"

Lightly chuckling, Gozaburo replied "You heard me. Neither of you deserve a rematch. Now, get out of my office!"

Both glared at Gozaburo and screamed "NO!"

Gozaburo only sat there, getting madder by the moment. He said in a irritated voice "Listen you two, I'm not in the mood for this stupidity. Get out, or else I'll kick you both out of the tournament!"

Growling, Seto kicked Gozaburo's desk over against the wall, saying in great anger "Listen Gozaburo, I am not in the mood for your antics! You either give me a rematch tonight, or I'll turn you into the commission right now."

"The same here Gozaburo. You had better give me a rematch right now or you'll regret it." added in Keith.

Gozaburo only sat there, growing more and more impatient with the two. Suddenly, he had an idea and smirked, saying "You know what, you're both right. I should give you each a rematch. And I will, but not the way you want it. I'm going to make a triple threat duel for both titles tonight! It will be Illidan vs. Seto vs. Keith for both the Intercontinental and World Championships! So, how does that grab you both?"

Both were red in the face from their anger, and both screamed "THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WANT!"

Gozaburo only chuckled, replying with "Of course not, but if you don't take this offer, you'll get nothing. That would be considered fair by the commission, so don't try to say I didn't offer a rematch. Take it or get out of my office!"

Both growled in anger at this, but each finally nodded in agreement to take the match.

"See, I knew you would see it my way. Now, the match will be in a while, at say 6:00 P.M. This way you three will have plenty of time to duel one another and get done just in time to watch the duel for the number one contender for the World Championship. Now, get out of my office!" yelled Gozaburo.

Each growled in frustration, but slowly made their way for the door. On the way out, Seto grabbed the door and slammed it shut. The force of the slamming nearly ripped the door right off of its hinges.

Gozaburo was slightly cheesed off at that, but finally settled back into his throne. He then called the judge that usually made the announcements. He told him to make the announcements about the two duels for the evening. The judge said he would soon enough. Then Gozaburo relaxed back into his chair. He then began to laugh, enjoying the thought of Illidan possibly loosing both his titles.

After a while, the judge made his announcement on the intercom. At that time, Illidan was in his room with Marie, talking about the past.

Suddenly, the intercom buzzed to life, with the judge saying "Attention duelists. Two duels have just been signed for tonight. First, there will be a Triple Threat Duel for the Intercontinental and World Championships. It will be Illidan Stormrage vs. Seto Kaiba vs. Bandit Keith. This duel will start at 6:00 P.M. The next duel for the evening will be a 4-way duel to determine the number one contender for the World Championship. It will be Yugi Motto vs. Marie O'Dell vs. Marik Ishtar vs. Joey Wheeler. This duel will take place at 7:00 P.M. Those are the duels for tonight. Thank you all."

Illidan and Marie only sat there, slightly shocked at the announcement. Marie could only lightly giggle at Illidan's reaction.

Sighing, Illidan said "That's nice to know. Now I get to face Seto and Keith again. Oh joy…"

Marie only continued to giggle innocently at Illidan, and finally said "Oh wah!"

Illidan only laughed at her comment. Back at their hometown, he would always say that to Marie when she complained.

Marie then broke the small silence that ensued, asking "So, what are you going to do Illidan?"

Illidan could only laugh, and responded with "The only thing I can do. I'm going to face Seto and Keith in that duel. Hopefully they won't tag team me though."

Marie only laughed in response, saying "Knowing those two idiots, they'll be too busy trying to take each other out. I wouldn't worry about them. Now, I'll let you get ready for your duel. You only have an hour and thirty minutes. Good luck Illidan."

She then kissed him on the lips with a small, yet passionate kiss. She finally pulled back and stood, leaving Illidan gazing at her beauty as she left the room.

Sighing, Illidan stood and looked over his deck. It was still the same as always, so he placed it back in it's deck holder. He then took a quick shower and put on a white button up shirt with a white undershirt. He also put on a pair of his favorite blue jeans, just for the heck of it for the night.

After a quick meal of Ramen Noodles, Illidan was ready to leave. He grabbed hold of his Duel Disk and deck holder and made his way to the elevator. At the elevator, the group of Keith, Seto, and the judge were waiting. He was five minutes early, but the others were early as well.

Keith made the comment "It's about time you got here wimp. Now we can get this over with and I can become a double champion."

Seto turned towards Keith, saying "The only one that is going to become a double champion is me."

Illidan only sighed and let out a small laugh. The judge then asked all three to get into the elevator. Once in, the elevator rushed to the top of the tower. All of them got out and went to the main dueling ring.

The judge then began as usual speech, saying "Duelists, the following is a Triple Threat Duel and is for the Intercontinental and World Championships. Each of you three will start with 4000 life points. You will not be allowed to attack on your first turn. Once all the first turns are over, you are allowed to attack. You may defend anyone you wish, as well as attack anyone you wish. Now duelists, shuffle your decks and head to your positions."

All three began shuffling their decks. Once they finished, they inserted their decks into their Duel Disks. Slowly, all three made their way to their positions on the field.

After arriving at their positions, the judge said "The turns will be determined by your rank. Since Illidan is ranked first, he shall take the first turn, followed by Seto, and finally followed by Keith. Now duelists, activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards and begin!"

Each of the three then fired their holo projectors. Their Duel Disks then began to unfold and power up.

Illidan took a deep breath and said "I call forth my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The huge soldier in black armor then appeared beside of him.

Seto only smirked, saying "Stand back as I bring forth my Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650)." A large blue and purple seahorse like warrior appeared beside of Seto.

Keith only smartly said "Alright dweebs, meet my Machine King (2200/2000)." A huge red and blue machine like monster appeared beside of Keith.

The three then drew their first five cards and said "LET'S DUEL!"


	70. Chapter 70: Triple Threat Match, Pt 1

**Hey all. Thanks again for the comments. I appreciate each and everyone that I get from everybody. Well, I think it's time I answer a few reviews now.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Never know. Those two idiots are so desperate to win, they could tag team Illidan. And yeah, they did act like big babies. Lol, that was kind of the point. Both wanted their rematch, but neither wanted to give the other the chance to have it with the other not getting their shot. Glad this keeps you connected, lol. This was the only thing that kept me connected till about four or five weeks ago, when I started watching the end of the show. It kind of left me much to think about, and the end kind of left me pondering many things. It kind of screwed up many things and left many questions about certain things, but oh well.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Yeah, the cards could be improved on, but when I started work on this story, the ban wasn't out yet, I think… No, I don't think it was out yet, but I'm not sure. I think if it was, I just decided to go with traditional style anyways, so that I could stick with the show to an extent. And yeah, at the end of Battle City, Yugi did hold all three Egyptian God Cards, but I believe I explained later what happened. He returned them, along with the Millennium Items for the upcoming battle. Again, thanks for the comments.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, Gozaburo figured Illidan needed one more thing to entertain him, hehe. And yeah, this should hopefully shut them up (not likely though, hehe). Well, I thought about a tag team battle, but all teams were created by now, and had dueled at least once, so hence there was no point to have them duel again. LOL! I'm sure Ryou would love that… Watches Ryou running away once again. Ryou: "SOMEBODY SAVE ME!" Silly Ryou, this is what you get for making the girls love you.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol! Sees the black trench coat. Poor Ryou, you've got a woman dressing you now. Ryou: "NO, I REFUSE TO WEAR IT!" Watches Ryou run once more. Run man, run for your life! They're after you!**

**Well, that's all for the reviews this time. Today should be fun. I start my new job, so we'll see how that works out. I truly hope that it does in a way, but in so many ways I'm torn between staying at it and going north with my fiancé and trying to find work there. Sigh Life just seems so unfair sometimes, but oh well, I'll find a way to survive. Always have, and always will I guess. Anyways, enough sappy stuff. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 70**

Illidan looked at his hand, seeing he held Thunder Nyan Nyan, Magic Cylinder, Scapegoat, D.D. Warrior Lady, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and his newly drawn Gamma the Magnet Warrior.

Slightly smiling, Illidan said "I'll start things off by summoning my Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode." A red headed female monster with a leopard print leotard then appeared. In front of her set a pair of large drums and she pulled out a pair of drumsticks to play them with.

"Next I'll set two cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 4000, Seto 4000, Keith 4000)

Seto smugly said "Is that all you can muster Illidan? Then you'd better be prepared to lose. Now watch as I summon my powerful Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode." An ogre like monster appeared on the field. The mighty ogre was in black leather and held a powerful double handed axe.

"Now I'll as well set two cards face down. That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Seto 4000, Keith 4000)

Keith only commented "You two are pathetic. Watch a real move, ladies! I now summon my X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode." A blue and yellow monster with two rather long barrels appeared on the field. It floated in mid air by some kind of hover technology.

"Thanks to my Deck Master's special ability, X-Head Cannon gets a power boost of 200 points (2000/1700)." The large red and blue machine monster's eyes then glowed red as it fired a beam into the back of the blue and yellow monster. The monster then glowed slightly as it's power increased.

"To finish my turn, I'll set one card face down. Your move dweeb." (Illidan 4000, Seto 4000, Keith 4000)

Illidan drew his next card and smiled. It was Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. Glancing at the field, he decided to bide his time for the moment.

"I'll summon D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in defense mode." A female warrior in grey and black armor with a sword at her side then appeared on the field in a one knee position with her arms crossed.

"That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Seto 4000, Keith 4000)

Seto drew and smirked, saying "My move chumps. Watch as I decimate the competition! I first sacrifice my Vorse Raider to summon Luster Dragon #2 (2400/1400) in attack mode." A powerful emerald dragon appeared and spread it's massive green wings out. It then roared at Illidan and Keith.

"Luster Dragon #2, destroy Keith's tin can with Emerald Blaster!" The dragon roared as it opened it's mouth up and let loose a green stream of energy at the blue and yellow machine monster. The monster moaned as it was struck, and finally exploded into millions of pieces.

Keith only growled, yelling "Why you little…"

Seto only chided him with "Now, now Keith, no need to get mad. I end my move." (Illidan 4000, Seto 4000, Keith 3600)

Keith angrily drew his card and said "Alright, it's time I turn up the heat. I first summon Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600) to the field. Of course, he gets a power boost as well since he's a machine monster (1700/1800)." A red metallic dragon with wings for arms then appeared on the field and let out a small metallic screech. The powerful red and blue machine monster then let his eyes glow again and fired a beam at the dragon, increasing it's power.

"Next, I'll play Monster Reborn, allowing me to resummon my X-Head Cannon (1800/1500). Then he gets a boost as well (2000/1700)." The blue and yellow machine monster then reappeared on the field beside the red metallic dragon.

"Now I play the magic card Reasoning, which allows me to have one of you two to pick a monster level. I then draw till I find a monster. If you guessed wrong, that monster is instantly special summoned to the field. If you guess right though, it's sent to the Graveyard. Also, any other card I draw is sent to the Graveyard. Now, Seto, pick a monster level."

Seto thought for a second and finally said "I'll pick six since most of your heavy machines are level six."

Keith only smirked and replied "Fine then Kaiba, watch as I draw. The first monster I drew was Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300). And now he gets a boost as well (1700/1500)!" A red and yellow metallic, yet odd shaped, tank appeared on the field. Keith's Deck Master then powered up and shot a beam at the tank, instantly increasing its power.

Keith only let out a snicker, saying "Now I combine all three together to form the XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)! And don't forget, its power is boosted as well (3000/2800)!" The blue and yellow monster with twin barrels first linked up with the red machine dragon. The two then connected up with the blue and yellow tank, forming a massive tank altogether. Finally, Keith's Deck Master fired a laser blast at the monster, making it much stronger.

"You're about to die now rich boy! XYZ-Dragon Cannon, …"

Seto only smirked at the comment, saying "Not so fast motor mouth. I activate a trap called Ring of Destruction!"

Keith was extremely surprised at what the card was. Without any warning, a huge collar appeared. It had several bombs attached to it's side. The collar then began to spin wildly till it flew across the field and slipped around the neck of the large tank monster. The tank monster squirmed to get free, but couldn't. The collar then suddenly glowed and exploded, taking the tank monster with it.

Seto only chuckled, saying "So much for that piece of junk. Now you lose 3000 life points due to the destruction of your monster."

Keith only growled, but then smirked, replying with "You lose 3000 points as well rich boy, so what's your point?"

Seto only lightly chuckled, saying "I'm not done yet Keith. I reveal my other face down magic card, Ring of Defense. This card protects my life points from the damage inflicted by Ring of Destruction. So, I lose no life points." With that said, a huge ring was deployed in front of Seto, spinning a stopping the damage he'd have received. Keith's points then went down by 3000, leaving Keith greatly angered.

After growling for a moment, Keith snickered, saying "I'm not done with you yet rich boy. Watch as I activate my face down card, Call of the Haunted. This brings back my XYZ-Dragon Cannon (3000/2800), just as strong as ever." The huge machine monster then reemerged onto the field, showing it was ready for yet another round.

"Now I activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special effect. I can discard a card from my hand in order to blow away any card I wish on the field. So, I discard this card from my hand, blowing away your Luster Dragon #2!" The dragon took aim and let loose a powerful blast that annulated the weaker emerald colored dragon.

"XYZ-Dragon Cannon, direct attack Seto's life points with Light Cannon!" The tank monster took aim with all it's turrets then at Seto. It then released a powerful blast, sending all it's artillery flying at Seto, who was knocked to his knees by the attack. Slowly, Seto stood again, panting from the damage he'd received.

Keith only smirked at Seto's look on his face, and smugly said "I end my move." (Illidan 4000, Seto 1000, Keith 600)

Illidan then drew his card and smiled at what was happening. Slowly, he decided what his new strategy should be. "_I'd better attack Seto, just so he doesn't have a chance to summon Obelisk the Tormentor. That would be hard to fight off, along with Keith's tin cans._"

He took the one card he had drawn and stuck it in the magic/trap card slot, saying "I set one card face down. Thunder Nyan Nyan, attack Seto's life points directly with Drum Basher!" The female monster quickly flew across the field and prepared to strike Seto with her drumsticks.

She was nearly to Seto when Seto smirked and said "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. You see, it allows me to draw one card from my deck. If it's a light attribute monster, I get to special summon it to the field. Of course, if it isn't, it goes to the Graveyard. By the way, it doesn't matter what level the monster is either. It's still special summoned to the field. Now, I draw."

Seto drew and then looked at the card and began to laugh evilly. He then showed the card to Illidan and Keith.

Illidan gasped, saying "Not that card!"

Seto only continued to laugh, saying "I drew my Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)! Now rise up my powerful beast!" The large white metallic dragon then rose up onto the field, letting out it's horrible roar to strike fear into all that dared to oppose it.

Still smirking, Seto finally said "Of course Illidan, your attack was stopped the moment I special summoned Blue-Eyes, so you can make the choice of what to do. Continue on your suicide run, or quit while you're ahead."

Growling silently, Illidan knew he couldn't beat the dragon, so he said "That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Seto 1000, Keith 600)


	71. Chapter 71: Triple Threat Match, Pt 2

**Hello once more. Thanks for all the comments guys. I appreciate it so much, and helps encourage me with my writing. The last two days have gone well at work, thankfully. My poor fiancé, she went to take her driver's test yesterday, but the pain in the ass that took her got her so nervous that she failed out at the parallel parking. Then to top it off, the ass made her drive home while she was upset. Sighs I wish I could take her, but due that I work till 5, it's kind of hard. Anyways, enough complaints about life, time to get to some fun reviews.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Lol, thanks. I tried hard to make the duels entertaining, not to mention somewhat real. Yeah, the two are related through marriage, so it's pretty cool. Originally, I thought about not having them related, but then when my fiancé wrote some of the history for my story, she kind of made Marie and Illidan family, and I liked the idea, so I kept it. The ten way duel will be good. It'll be coming up, sometime, lol.**

**Divine Weapon: Lol, it's alright. Thanks for the comment about the duel. I tried hard to make it exciting, and to make it appear as good as possible. And no prob about reading your story. It's entertaining, which is good.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Yeah, he his. He's trapped between two idiots who hate him, but whom hate one another just as much, if not more, lol. Sniffle Is it so bad that he battles the Pharaoh, lol. Sees a trench coat on fire. There it is Brianna. I think Ryou set it on fire.**

**thehyperactivecow: Yeah, they're so concerned that one or the other will win that they totally forgot about Illidan. But that'll change, more than likely.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Of course, you can't have Seto without some Blue-Eyes White Dragon out, lol. And this is their last chance, other than one other, maybe another, to get a shot at the titles. After all, they lost the right to fight him on the tenth day of dueling, so they have to take any and all shots they got for now.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, he's got three out of four pieces. Smacks Seto in the back of the head. But yeah, my story and the show's plot have major conflicts. When I started, I knew it'd change it some, but I never expected the end of the show to really make it that much more difficult. I'm currently setting up my own end of the show in my head, so that I'll have something to work with on my final story, hopefully. And thanks for ignoring them, hehe.**

**Well, that's all the reviews. Wow, there are more and more each time I write these up, and I'm so happy there is. I hope everyone continues to review. It makes me happy to see them, and I'm ever so glad to post a reply to each. Well, at any rate, till next time, farewell.**

**Chapter 71**

Seto drew his next card and smirked, saying with a taunt in his voice "Now it's time I showed the two of you what a true duelist is like. I first play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards from my deck. Next I summon Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in defense mode." A mage robed in a cape with dragon like armor appeared on the field in a defensive position.

"Now I play the magic card The Flute of Summoning Dragon, which allows me to special summon up to two dragons from my hand." A large golden flute like object shaped like a dragons head then appeared above the mage. He grabbed hold of it and then played the flute.

"And the two dragons I summon are two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons (3000/2500)!" Two more powerful white metallic dragons appeared on the field, roaring at both Illidan and Keith.

Illidan only cringed at the sight of these dragons. "_Not good. Now Seto has three Blue-Eyes. If that last card in his hand is Polymerization, then he'll be almost unstoppable._"

Seto let a soft smirk play off his face as he said "Finally, I play the magic card Dragon's Treasure, which equips to one of my Blue-Eyes. This gives my Blue-Eyes 300 additional attack and defense points (3300/2800). Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy Keith's scrap heap of a dragon with White Lightning!" The dragon with extra power then roared and fired its powerful stream of white energy at the large tank monster. The tank tried hard to fight off the blast, but finally was blown away from the force of the attack from the white dragon.

"I'm not done with you yet Keith. Time to finish off the rest of your life points. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, direct attack Keith's life points with White Lightning!" Another of the white dragons then roared and powered up. As the blast was about to fly across the field, Keith only snickered.

Seto raised an eyebrow, asking "What's so funny Keith? Is losing that funny?"

Keith only snickered again, saying "I'm laughing because you're so dense rich boy. I activate my Deck Master's third special ability. This allows me to special summon any machine monster from my hand to the field, at a cost of two cards from the top of my deck. Those two cards are automatically sent to the Graveyard. Now, I send two cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard and special summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast (2800/2000) in attack mode!" A powerful metal dragon with tank tracks and a long metallic tail then appeared on the field with a roar. It then directed it's roar straight at the white metallic dragons.

Growling, Seto said "You're little tin can can't stop my dragon…"

Keith then interrupted, saying "That's where you're wrong rich boy. Remember my Deck Master also gives Fusilier Dragon an additional 200 points (3000/2200). That makes our monsters even." The red and blue machine monster then turned towards the machine dragon and let a laser fire from it's eyes, instantly increasing the machine dragon's strength.

Seto only growled again while Keith taunted with "So, what now rich boy?"

Sighing, Seto finally said "I have to end my move." (Illidan 4000, Seto 1000, Keith 300)

"_Seto got forced to back down. Keith isn't doing too bad this duel._" Illidan thought inwardly.

Keith only smirked at Seto as he drew, and said "I figured you would back down rich boy. Now, watch as I prepare to destroy you and Illidan. It starts with this magic card, Card of Sanctity. This allows us all three to draw till we hold six cards in our hands."

Illidan then drew his cards. He had drawn his Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Pot of Greed, and Kuriboh.

Keith only smirked at his cards, and gave off a snicker. "It's over for you two this turn. I'm going to wipe you both out. I first activate my Deck Master's second special ability. This allows me to remove the number of monsters from my Graveyard that it would take to tribute a monster. So, I remove Gadget Soldier and Mechanical Chaser from my Graveyard…"

"Wait a minute! How did Mechanical Chaser get into your Graveyard Keith?" asked an irritated Seto.

With a smirk on his face, Keith explained. "Remember when I used my Deck Master last turn? Well, I had to send to cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard, and one card happened to be Mechanical Chaser. Now, continuing on, I remove both to special summon my ultimate monster, Perfect Machine King (2700/1500) in attack mode!" A huge red and white robot with some green then appeared on the field. On it's body, it sported many missiles and other heavy artillery.

"Next my Deck Master gives him 200 more points (2900/1700)!" The red and blue machine monster's eyes glowed and fired a laser from them. They struck the red and white machine monster, making it's eyes slightly glow as it's power increased.

"Now my Perfect Machine King's special ability kicks in. Since Fusilier is a machine monster, his attack points now increase by 500 (3400/1500)." Again, the red and white machine monster's eyes glowed as his points rose.

"I next play the magic card Polymerization, allowing me to fuse my Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon from my hand, forming Gatling Dragon (2600/1200)!" A powerful machine like dragon appeared on the field. It had gatling gun arms with a gatling gun on its head and rather large wheels for legs. It roared over at the direction of Illidan and Seto.

"My Deck Master next strengthens his points by 200 (2800/1400)." Seeing it's new comrade on the field, the red and blue machine monster fired it's laser eyes at the gatling gun monster, increasing it's strength even more.

"Now my Perfect Machine King's special effect kicks in. Whenever another machine monster is on the field, he gains another 500 attack points (3900/1500). But I'm far from done with you two. Now I summon Heavy Mech Support Platform (500/500) in attack mode." A grey, red, and white spaceship/platform type of monster appeared on the field.

"I now use its special effect. I can now equip it to my Perfect Machine King, making him gain another 500 attack points (4400/1500)!" The huge platform then separated and attached itself to the red and white machine monster, making itself into a suit of armor in essence.

Illidan watched carefully, and realized quickly one thing. "_Seto may lose this turn. I hope not, but he may._"

"For my next move, I'll move my Machine King into play (2200/2000)." Slowly, the red and blue machine monster glided from his Deck Master position to the field, taking it's place beside it's fellow machine monsters.

"He now gains 300 additional attack points due that there is three machine monsters now on the field (2500/2000). Also, he gains 200 additional points due to his Deck Master ability (2700/2200). Next, Perfect Machine King gains 500 more attack points since Machine King is out (4900/1500). Now for the final card of your two's destruction. I play the magic card Limiter Removal, which doubles all machine type monsters attack points. That means Perfect Machine King, Machine King, Gatling Dragon, and Fusilier Dragon have become twice as powerful (9800/1500) (5400/2000) (5600/1200) (6000/2000)!" Each of the machine monsters then glowed with power as each of their attack points doubled, making them seem like an invincible army.

In shock, Illidan could only think "_No way! He has three of the most powerful machines prepped to destroy us now. But I've got a little surprise for him if he attacks me._"

Keith only smirked with pride at his monsters, and then pointed at Seto, yelling "And now, it's time to destroy you both. Machine King, use your Rocket Punch to destroy Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The red and blue machine monster pointed a fist at one of the white metallic dragons and it shot out in a flash. The arm flew so fast that if anyone had blinked they would have missed the arm's flight path. The white dragon was instantly struck, making it roar in pain as it exploded into millions of pieces. With it's destructions, Seto's life points dropped to zero.

Seto could only scream "NOOO!" He then fell to his knees in shock and horror. His Duel Disk powered down, showing tell tale signs that he'd lost.

He only sat there on his knees, in complete shock, saying "How could this happen!"

Keith only snickered, yelling "Who's the loser now rich boy? You just lost to me, the so called loser you disliked and hated. Well, it looks like you're a loser now, muwhahaha!"

Then Keith turned towards Illidan and smirked. He raised his hand toward Illidan then, and pointed a finger directly at Illidan, saying "You're going down too. Watch this! Perfect Machine King, attack Illidan's Thunder Nyan Nyan with Missile Decimation!" The red and white machine monster took aim and fired a flurry of missiles aimed at the red headed female monster.

As the rockets neared, Keith screamed out "I WIN!"

Illidan only laughed, saying "I don't think so Keith. Watch as I reveal my face down trap card known as Magic Cylinder, which redirects your attack right back at your own life points!" Suddenly, two pink and yellow cylinders appeared in front of the red headed female monster. The missiles went in one cylinder and then came flying back out the other directly at Keith.

All Keith could do was scream "NO WAY!" Keith didn't have time to say anything else, for then he was hit head on by all the missiles his monster had just fired. The blast was so intense it knocked him backwards about ten feet. His life points then dropped to zero and his Duel Disk powered down, showing his loss.

Illidan's own Duel Disk then powered down, showing him as the last man standing, literally.

The judge quickly cleared his throat, saying "Illidan Stormrage is the winner!" He then walked over to Illidan, handing both titles back to Illidan. The crowd then ran out from the stands to congratulate Illidan.

Looking over at Mokuba who was with his brother Seto, Illidan decided to offer a hand to Seto.

When seeing the offer, Seto knocked it away and slowly stood with difficulty, saying with a grumble in his voice "I don't need your help." Seto then walked off in a huff, but had a noticeable limp from the final attack he had received.

All Illidan could do was shrug. He then went over to Keith, extending his hand like he had done for Seto, but like Seto, Keith showed his attitude.

"Get away!" he screamed. With great difficulty, he stood and limped off the field.

Illidan only sighed, thinking "_Try to be friendly and they get mad yet again. They're loss I guess._"

Smiling, Illidan returned to the others to celebrate his victory.

Elsewhere in the tower, Gozaburo only clapped his hands, saying in a mocking tone "Bravo Illidan. As I expected, you performed rather well. Just as I thought would happen, those two ninnies basically defeated one another, allowing you to win. Soon though, you will fall, and I will rise to the top, and rule this world!"


	72. Chapter 72: The Past Fight

**Hello once more. Glad that everyone liked the results of the last duel. I thought I'd have that duel as kind of an intermission, but like with Illidan vs. Marie, there are a few things in between the duels. So, sadly, the duel won't officially start with Yami till next week. At any rate, onto the reviews now.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yep, silver platter and all for Seto's butt, hehe. And don't worry, that duel is coming up soon.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Soon he will face the Pharaoh. Raises eyebrow at the bi comment. Oh Marie… Gets smacked in the back of the head. Sorry dear… Forget I said a word, hehe. ROFL! Poor Ryou. I can fix your problem though Ryou. Pulls out a baseball bat. Stand still for a few minutes. This may hurt, but it'll make you uglier.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yes, a nice intermission, but like I said earlier, the duel between the two is coming soon. It won't take all week to get to it, but it'll be another two or three chapters I believe. Like with Marie vs. Illidan, I'll post it all the same week.**

**thehyperactivecow: Indeed, being owned by Illidan is always great, lol. The next match is the four way duel, but I kind of just gave the results rather than run through it.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, I thought it'd be ironic if Seto lost to Keith. Here Seto calls himself a world class champion, where he was just beat by a world class loser, hehe. But yeah, the upcoming duel will be intense. I just first have to run through some other things, but that duel is coming.**

**By the way, my fiancé is working on putting another chapter out of her story. I'll let everyone know when it's up. Also, I'm working on a one-shot of the end of Yugioh, mostly to explain what happened. It'll take place at the end of the final duel, so it'll explain quite a few things. I'm going to try and explain the gaps that my story has between the show, but we'll see how that goes. I know the show decided to take a nice tour through the past, but I've thought of a few things, so I'll just have to write it down.**

**Other than that, nothing else much left for me to say. So, till tomorrow, enjoy.**

**Chapter 72**

Once the 4-way duel was over that night, a new number one contender for the World Championship was decided. The first in the match to be eliminated was Marik. Then Yugi and Marie had turned their attention to one another. The fatal mistake was leaving Joey completely alone. He had not been attacked the whole duel. Finally, when Yugi used Slifer to take down Marie, Joey took full advantage. Both Slifer and Marie's powerful The Agent of Force – Mars were both destroyed due to Joey's help. Then Joey went in and finished both off in one final swoop. Both were shocked that Joey had caused them both to lose in a few simple moves. Still, the duel stood, and Joey was declared the new number one contender for the World Championship. Like the duel for the Intercontinental Championship, it would be on the tenth day of dueling. Now Joey had the chance to duel for both the Intercontinental and World Championship in his duel with Illidan.

After the duel, everyone retired to their rooms for the night. Illidan entered his and flung himself down onto his bed. He was exhausted from the tough duels.

Sighing his thoughts began to ramble within his head. "_Man, what a tough set of duels I had today, but it only gets worse tomorrow. Today, I had to defeat Marie in a singles duel, and then Seto and Keith in a triple threat duel. Tomorrow, I have to defeat Yami in a singles duel, but can I? The prophesy Marie made said that most likely the one to face Gozaburo would be known due that they were undefeated throughout the tournament. Me and Yami are undefeated in singles action, but he lost in tag team duels and three or more way duels. So, does that mean he isn't part of the prophecy anymore, or does that mean he's still in it? I'm so confused on what it means._"

Finally, Illidan got up, deciding he'd let fate take it's course, one way or another. He quickly prepared for bed and in moments, was asleep when his head hit his pillow.

While he slept, a vision came to him. He found himself once again in ancient Egypt. Sighing inwardly, he thought "_Great, what memory is it now?_"

He then saw his past self walking through the palace. He followed closely, knowing where his former self was headed. His past self was walking to the courtyard where the Shadow Court constantly practiced their Shadow Duels.

In the courtyard, there stood Yami, who smiled, saying "It's about time slow poke. I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up or not."

Illidan's past self only smirked and lightly said "Sorry, but I was busy. Yeah, very busy."

Past Illidan kind of blushed at his own comment. Suddenly, it dawned on Illidan why. "_Ah, I remember now. Me and Marie were busy doing something before this duel. No wonder I was blushing._"

Yami only laughed, saying with a taunting voice "I know that you and Marie were rolling in the sheets, and that's alright. I just wanted to duel you today."

Past Illidan blushed even deeper now at the pharaoh's comment. Yami knew him and Marie were deeply in love and already married. Ever since they were married, Illidan had been spending any time he had to spare with her during the day. The two were the talk of the palace since both would constantly disappear during the day after all the serious work had been done.

Yami's face then turned serious, as he said "Come Illidan, I wish to duel you."

Illidan's past self looked up and his blush disappeared. He nodded and the two moved to their positions on the field. Soon enough, their Shadow Powers flared out of their Millennium Items as they summoned forth monsters.

Eventually, their duel boiled down to where the two had their favorite monsters out. Yami's was a powerful mage in purple robes with a powerful green staff. This monster was known throughout the kingdom as Dark Magician. Illidan's monster was a mage as well, but this one wore black armor and had blue skin with odd eyes. His eyes had yellow corneas and red irises, which made the mage seem so odd. This mage wielded a powerful black staff and was just as strong, if not stronger than Yami's mage. This monster that Illidan wielded was known as the Dark Magician of Chaos.

The two smirked at each other, for the duel had gone both ways till they had gotten to this point in the duel. Then, in one final assault, the two decided to see who was the strongest at that point. Each then called out their final orders to their monsters.

"Dark Magician, attack with Dark Magic Attack!" commanded Yami.

"Dark Magician of Chaos, attack with Chaos Scepter Blast!" ordered Illidan.

Each monster then pointed their staffs at their opposition. They then each fired their attacks, which met in the middle of the field. The two blasts struck one another, each trying to overpower the other. Illidan and Yami then started pouring more power than ever from their Millennium Items and into their monsters. Each had sweat drenching their faces and body as they poured their powers into their mages.

For a long time, the two were evenly matched. For nearly ten minutes, neither could move the beam one way or another. Illidan was starting to weaken though.

Ever since Illidan and Yami had known one another as children while they had been training, the two had been nearly even in power. Illidan eventually had gotten slightly stronger than Yami at the age of eight, which coincidentally frightened Yami's father, the Pharaoh Raijin. This fact had forced Raijin to try an attempt on Illidan's life, but Illidan's father, Shando Stormrage, had caught wind of this and saved his son's life by sending him to live with a group of roaming nomads that were strong users of Shadow Magic. But there was a price to pay, and that was the life of Illidan's own father.

Of course, Yami's father had died due to this attempt when others of his Shadow Court had found out, which put the young pharaoh in charge at the age of eight. Illidan and Yami would not see one another for eight years after this. This was due to Shando's request to the nomads. He had asked them to teach his son all that they could in eight years, so that he might be able to return to Cairo one day. True to their word, the group had taught Illidan for eight years, and when Illidan had turned sixteen, he sent word to Yami that he was returning.

Upon his return, he was asked to teach a young girl with Shadow Powers, who was sixteen as well, named Marie. Over three years, Illidan had taught her all that he could, and amazingly, she learned rather quickly. In three short years, she had achieved a power level that had taken Yami eight years to reach. Of course, during those three years, Illidan had found himself falling in love for the girl, but was afraid to admit it to her till after her final test where she won her freedom form slavery and was granted permission to join Yami's council known as the Shadow Court.

During the three years though, Yami had grown stronger. Due that Illidan was no longer pressing hard to grow more and more powerful, Yami had overtaken Illidan in strength, setting himself up as the strongest that was known of in the country with Shadow Powers.

Even though Illidan had lost ground to Yami, Illidan did gain some power. He had gained some strength, but not as much as Yami. Due that he wasn't focused on training himself as hard as he had been anymore; he just gained power in smaller spurts. In a way, Illidan didn't care too much either due that he had gained something better than power. He had in the end gained the love of Marie, and was now happier with spending time with her than fighting or dueling.

As the attacks continued to grind away at one another, Illidan was finding it more and more difficult to keep up this level of an attack. He had always been the strongest between the two, but Illidan also had known Yami had gotten stronger during the past five years. He only smiled inwardly, knowing it had only been a matter of time till Yami had overtaken him in strength.

Slowly, Illidan was running out of strength. Yami's mage was pushing his mage's attack back, and Illidan was running out of energy. At long last, his last bit of energy failed him, and the attack came flying towards Illidan's mage, instantly crushing it. Illidan collapsed onto his knees, panting hard as sweat poured off of his body.

Yami's monster then faded as he too fell to his knees, panting hard. He lightly laughed, saying "I didn't know how long you'd survive. I was amazed I held out that long as well. Excellent duel Illidan."

Illidan's past self slowly tried to stand, but found himself out of energy. After resting a few more moments, he finally stood and smiled, thanking Yami. He then excused himself and slowly made his way back towards his quarters.

His past self flung himself onto the bed, for he was totally exhausted. He quickly fell asleep, only to be awakened soon enough by Marie's past self kissing him. She casually asked him why he was sweaty and so tired. Jokingly, she asked if he'd visited the royal concubines.

Illidan only laughed as he remembered his answer had been "Is that a problem?" He then saw his past self getting a small punch from Marie, but only laughed. Shaking his head, he thought "_I should have known better than to say that, but I couldn't help myself. She made it an easy target._"

He then noticed Marie had begun talking to his past self about Gozaburo's persistent gestures of love towards her. Sighing, his memory then flared up. "_I remember this day now. This was the day before that whole mess began. I told her I'd talk to him again, which I did, and she also talked with him. But that did nothing to stop him as usual._"

Then suddenly the vision moved to the next day, right to where Marie was walking away from Gozaburo. "_No, not this again!_"

Gozaburo got off the ground and pulled his dagger out of his cloak, and then stabbed Marie right in the back. She screamed out in pain, awakening the unconscious version of Illidan.

He screamed mentally "_Please, make this vision stop! Please!_"

Suddenly, Illidan awoke in a cold sweat. Not only was he in a cold sweat, but he was crying as he had usually been when he'd had that certain vision. He looked down at the Millennium Key, which was still glowing.

In a sad, yet demanding voice, he said "Why do you continue to show me these visions? I know what happened, and I know I couldn't stop him. So why do you continue this! Answer me!"

The Millennium Key just simply continued to glow with a golden aura, seemingly ignoring him. He growled, placing a firm hold on the key, yelling "Answer me! I want answers now!"

"Silly Illidan, you should know that key can't talk to you, let alone answer you." came a stranger's voice from across his room.

Illidan nearly jumped out of his skin. Looking around, Illidan quickly noticed a figure in the dark. Inwardly, he thought "_That voice sounds so familiar. But who is it?_"

Pulling his key into his hand, he pointed it towards the stranger, saying "Show yourself, or I'll use this Millennium Key on you!"

There was only a laugh from the shadows where the stranger stood. Slowly, the figure walked closer to Illidan. Finally, Illidan made out the stranger's face, saying in a shocked voice "Shadi?"

Lightly laughing, Shadi stepped into the moonlight, saying "Yes my friend, it's me. I've returned to check up on you."

Illidan quickly climbed out of bed and hugged his friend. He then directed him towards the couch and sat down beside Shadi, asking "So, you came to check up on me? Why?"

Shadi only smiled, replying with "I heard from a friend here that you were undefeated in this tournament so far. I also heard that the pharaoh was as well. So, I knew that your final test was against him. I figured I should come back to make sure you was ready for this duel."

Illidan's brow furrowed with concern. "What do you mean ready for this duel?" he asked, unsure of what Shadi was saying.

Shadi only smirked, and replied with "All your opponents so far have been tough, but not as strong as the pharaoh. Don't forget, he is one of the most powerful duelists still in the world. Not to mention, he has a great power still lying dormant in him, along with his memories. He will not be the typical opponent you've grown used to dueling."

Illidan only frowned, saying "I've defeated Millennium Item duelists before. Don't forget, I beat Bakura, Marik, and Marie all so far. I don't think that Yami's Millennium Puzzle will make that much of a difference in our duel."

Shadi only looked at Illidan and slightly sighed, saying "Illidan, it will make all the difference. You forget, it is the pharaoh that you will be dueling. In ancient times, you never defeated him after he got stronger than you. True you defeated the others, but never the pharaoh after training Marie. And don't forget that he controls the Egyptian God Card, Slifer the Sky Dragon."

"But remember this one Shadi, I have defeated all of the God Cards so far. I defeated Slifer on my own in a few duels with the pharaoh, as well as the other two in single action, so I'm not that worried about his God Card." interjected Illidan.

Shadi nodded, but then replied "But the pharaoh is much stronger than you realize Illidan. He will be tough to beat. You must focus your mind and body on the task ahead. I have no doubt you can do it though. You are after all the reincarnation of Illidan Stormrage from ancient Egypt, who helped bring so much peace to Egypt. You can do it, I know you can."

Illidan then looked at Shadi and realized Shadi looked different. His face was showing wrinkles, and his skin looked much more wrinkled in places. Curious, he asked "Shadi, what is happening to you? You seem older now, or at least look it."

Shadi only lightly chuckled, saying "Can't you remember? It was the power of the Millennium Key that kept me immortal. Now that you possess it once again, my immortality is fading. I don't know if I'll age to what I should truly look like or not. If I do, I will more than likely die when I hit 100 years of age."

Illidan suddenly realized what he'd done in ancient times. He had linked Shadi's immortality to him wearing the Millennium Key. It was the only way to keep Shadi from aging. Now there was a problem with that plan. "_Now what do I do? I can't give back the Millennium Key. But at the same time, I can't let him die. He's too good a friend to let die this way. There must be a solution. But what is it?_"

Waking from his thoughts, Illidan slowly started in a sad voice "Shadi, I…"

Shadi only shook his head, saying "It's alright my friend. I knew I couldn't live forever. Really, in some ways, I wish I had died long ago. Guarding the tombs was my duty, and I still don't mind that. In fact, I have no real true regrets for doing it all these millennia. I only regret that I never got to help when I should have. I could have done much for the world probably, but I was destined to guard the items instead. That was a destiny I embraced long ago, and will till the bitter end."

Looking at his friend with sad eyes, thoughts started swirling within Illidan's mind. "_There has to be something I can do for him. But what? Wait, I can do something!_"

With a mischievous smile, Illidan said "Shadi, you don't have to die just yet. I have an idea."

Shadi didn't understand, but shook his head, saying "It is alright my friend. Let me die in peace."

Illidan placed a hand on his friends shoulder and shook his head, saying back "But it is not yet your time for death. Your destiny maybe fulfilled, but you have so much to live for as well. I have an idea to save you."

Shadi only looked at Illidan, curious to what Illidan meant. "What do you have in mind?" he asked.

Illidan only smiled back, knowing what to do.


	73. Chapter 73: Shadi's Choice

**Hello once more people. Glad everyone liked the last chapter, but yeah, I know, you all want the duel with Yami. Well, hang in there. Once Shadi is taken care of, the duel will be getting ready to happen. So, bear with me for another chapter or two. Now, let's get to those reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: LOL! Yeah, lots and lots of stamina, hehe. Actually, Shadow Powers wise, due that Yami has no memory, Illidan is actually stronger. If Yami could regain his memories, then yeah, he'd overpower Illidan once more, but in the past, the two were close in power till Illidan returned from his training. Lol, yeah, Yugi's deck vs. real life would suck. His deck is a total mismatch of many monsters put together which really don't belong together. As for Illidan's deck, yeah, it's more real life than Yugi's. In all actuality, I based his deck off of a Chaos deck I really ran. Most of the cards were in there, but I modified it for the story, like added the Magnet Warriors (I always liked them, but they're so damn impossible to really play in all practicality, unless you focus on only them) and a few other monsters, spells, and traps. Perhaps they do have a draw… Or perhaps not, hehe. But he's not human! He's half demon… I mean he's human, lol! But seriously, we'll see, hehe. As for Shadi, get the dust pan out so we can sweep the dust away, lol. For real though, you'll find out this chapter. And the duel with Yugi is coming, so patients young one, lol.**

**thehyperactivecow: Yep, a cliffe. Maybe pick up a broom and dust pan and sweep the dust away from the aging Shadi, lol. Yeah, I thought it'd be interesting to give Joey the win. Everyone underestimates him, so I thought why not throw him into the mix. I could have wrote that duel, but due to the fact I've wrote so many others, I didn't want to, lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yep, lots and lots packed. You find out Illidan was a bit of a letch, Marie likes sheets… Wait, that's not right, lol. But seriously, a lot did happen in one chapter. But thanks for the comments.**

**Isis the Sphinx: It actually didn't. My story gives you bits and pieces of the past, unlike her story that will give you the whole story and a plot. Her plot doesn't revolve around my story at all really. But yeah, he's dying. Gotta suck to be him, lol.**

**Takes a deep breath. Wow, that was a lot of writing, hehe. Anyways, I'm glad to write so much. I'm happy that people are interested in this fan fic, and that is what makes posting this thing so much fun. Anyways, my fiancé, Cindy (I know, I never call her by name usually, lol), didn't get anything wrote on her story I believe, so that sucks. But oh well, she had more fun things to do (not me, sadly…). I know, I'm such a letch, hehe, but oh well. More than likely, after I see how many chapters I have, I'll post tomorrow or Monday, so till then, enjoy.**

**Chapter 73**

Shadi only looked curiously at Illidan. He still had no idea what Illidan could do to stop the aging. His immortality was linked to Illidan's Millennium Key, and only by wearing it would he keep his immortality.

Illidan told Shadi to wait while while he went and changed, so he wouldn't be standing there in his night clothes anymore. Soon enough, he returned in his clothes he had worn earlier in the day.

Sitting down next to Shadi, Illidan said "Ok Shadi, I am going to return your immortality to you now."

Shadi only looked at Illidan with questioning eyes, asking "How can you? You would have to give the Millennium Key to me in order for me to remain immortal."

Illidan only smiled, replying with "Not so my friend. I have another way of keeping you immortal. I remember how I made you immortal in the first place. I had transferred a good bit of spiritual energy from my Millennium Key into your body. Of course, it drained me for a short time, but it was enough to keep you alive for millennia's. So, I'm going to do the same thing again."

Shadi still looked at Illidan with unknowing eyes, and asked "Do you think it will work again?"

"Very good question my friend. As far as I know, it should grant you immortality again, I think." replied Illidan slowly.

Still seeing uncertainty in Shadi's eyes, Illidan then said "What I mean to do is to transfer more spiritual energy into you, but to have an anchor for the spiritual energy. Last time, I anchored the energy into my Millennium Key and your body. This time I'll use your Millennium Scales and your body as anchors. Fate gave you the scales to keep, so I will just create a link between them and your body so you can keep your immortality."

Shadi now seemed to understand and asked "So, you plan to use my Millennium Scales as the new link for my immortality?"

Illidan nodded, replying with "Yes, I do. See, each of the items was forged by me and Gozaburo. Gozaburo did the actual forging of metal, but I was the one that built the seals within the items to contain the great amounts of Shadow Magic. The seals allowed me to access to an item's power, but only if the user allowed me access."

Shadi's brow furrowed and he asked "Then why didn't you try to activate the seal in the Millennium Crown when Gozaburo went on his rampage?"

Illidan only sighed. "I couldn't. I had to have Gozaburo give me permission to activate the seal. I would have tried, but with the way Gozaburo was that day, I couldn't activate it. After all, getting permission from him that day would have been insane. I was just more worried about everyone there that day than trying to access my seal on the crown. Now, back to work on getting you back to normal."

Sighing, Shadi then spoke up, saying "Wait Illidan, can you make it so that I'm just mortal again? As much as I do know that my destiny is to guard the Millennium Items, I also wish to find out my other destiny. All the items are gone now, meaning their guardian is now useless."

Illidan smiled and patted his friend on the back, saying "You're not useless. You have done an excellent job in defending the items all these millennia, but I do understand. I can make it so you are mortal again. You will be as the same age as you were when I made you immortal the first time, which was 22 years old. Is that what you really want though, because I don't know if I can ever reverse this again?"

Thinking for a long moment, Shadi finally said "Yes, I wish to become mortal again. I want to live out the remainder of my life with someone. I don't want to continue living forever, knowing that they'll die one day while I must live on. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Smiling, Illidan completely understood what Shadi was saying. "_He must be in love. Hmm, I have heard rumors that he had seen Ishizu during and after the Battle City Tournament. I wonder if that's who he speaks of. I guess Shadi is turning into the ladies man. Then again, he hasn't had the chance to see a woman in five millennia. I'm sure that has made him rather lonely. Oh well, I'll leave him be about it. I'll ask him later possibly._"

Seeing that Shadi only looked at him seriously still, Illidan finally nodded, saying "Yes Shadi, I understand you desire to be mortal. You desire to live as a mortal so you no longer have to bear this duty and so that you can live the rest of your life. And I can guess a certain person has caught your eye as well."

Shadi blushed deeply at this, and started stuttering, trying to say "I, uh…"

Laughing, Illidan placed a hand on his shoulder, saying "It's alright Shadi. I can guess who it is, but it's alright. You don't have to talk about it."

Shadi still had a deep shade of crimson on his cheeks from his embarrassment, but sighed, saying "I guess while being a Tomb Keeper, I never really thought about the loneliness that much. When the tomb was finally reopened, and the items dispensed, I realized I had such an empty life. No one was around to share it with, other than the family that protected the pharaoh's tomb, and I rarely talked to them at that. It was in a way a sad lonely life, but I would do it again, due that it was my destiny and I was duty bound to fulfill it till the end."

Slightly smiling, Illidan clasped Shadi's shoulder, saying "It's alright. I understand how you feel. Believe me, the loneliness that fills a person's heart can be maddening. Before me and Marie were ever married in ancient times, I was just as lonely. I lost my father when I was eight, and then I was swept away to where I had no friends. Sure, I made friends, but still, I felt empty on the inside. Then I met Marie, and all the loneliness I had within me disappeared. She brought joy into my life, joy that I never imagined I could ever have or ever deserved. I'm sure you and Ishizu will find that same joy together..."

Illidan then suddenly realized what he'd just blurted out, and rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin, saying "Oops, didn't mean to blurt that out."

Shadi had once again blushed into a deep crimson red all over his face.

Sighing, Illidan decided to move on, and said "Anyways, let's get back to making you mortal."

With a simple nod, Shadi slowly let the crimson color disappear from his cheeks.

Standing, Illidan said "Alright, first, you must allow me to borrow your Millennium Scales. Then I'll activate the seal within it in order to begin the link up."

Shadi reached within his cloak and pulled out a golden pair of scales that had the Millennium Symbol on it. He then handed it to Illidan, who just looked at them.

Smiling, Illidan said "Hard to believe it's been five millennia since I've seen this Millennium Item. They're still so shiny!"

Shadi couldn't help but laugh at that small joke along with Illidan. Illidan then stopped laughing and his face turned serious as he said "Ok, now back to business."

Picking his key up with his free hand, he pointed it straight at the scales. Both slightly glowed as Illidan used his key to search for his seal. The five millennia old seal then activated, giving Illidan full access to all of it's power.

Smiling, he thought "_Good, my seal is still holding and appears in working order. This should be easy._"

Slowly, he began pouring power from himself into the scales, creating a set of links between them and Shadi's body. He continued transferring the energy between the two as he had done five millennia ago with Shadi the first time, but this time he made sure to make the transfer restore Shadi's youth and to keep him mortal.

As Illidan's power continued to transfer, Shadi's eyes started to change, as did his skin color. No longer looking as if death had set in, Shadi's skin shined brighter and looked so much more natural. His eyes had reverted from their grey death color to hazel. At last, Illidan finished the final thread between the two.

When he finished, he slightly wobbled, feeling light headed from the loss of energy. "_That took a good bit more energy than I thought it would. I guess if I don't regain my strength before the morning, I can have Bakura help restore my energy._"

Shadi slowly blinked for a moment and then looked at his hands. He smiled, saying "I feel alive again. Like you've replaced the spirit in my body or something."

All Illidan could do was snicker at the small analogy his friend had made, and said "Take a look in the mirror and you'll see something you'll really like."

Shadi walked over to the mirror in the corner of the room and nearly jumped back at what he saw in it's reflection. There stood he stood, looking exactly like he had five millennia ago. His skin was a bit more colorful rather than a dull color, and he saw for first time in five millennia that his eyes had color to them.

Shocked, he said "I… I… don't know…"

Sensing that his friend was trying to thank him, Illidan said "It's ok Shadi. It's no problem. I was glad to help you."

They shook hands and Shadi started to bow to Illidan, but Illidan stopped him, saying "No Shadi, you shouldn't bow to me. It is I who should bow to you. If not for your dedication to protecting the Millennium Items, most likely none of us would be around now. I thank you for that dedication."

He then bowed kindly to Shadi. Shadi only smiled, and turned to leave, saying "Thank you my friend. I must go now. Farewell and good luck with your duel. I will remain here till the end of the tournament. I have faith that you can put an end to this insanity Illidan."

Shadi slowly walked for the door, and was nearly about to leave when Illidan cleared his throat, which gained Shadi's attention.

"Shadi, aren't you forgetting something?" asked Illidan.

Thinking for a moment, Shadi replied "I don't think so."

Illidan then jingled the Millennium Scales in his hand, which made Shadi's mind snap back into reality. Illidan only chuckled, saying "Oh really Shadi. I guess then you don't need these?"

Shadi turned bright red with embarrassment and walked back towards Illidan saying "How could I forget those!"

Illidan only laughed at his friend and handed the scales back to Shadi. Shadi quickly tucked them back away within his cloak, and smiled, saying "Thank you again my friend. Now, I am off."

Smiling, Illidan said in a sarcastic voice with laugher in it "Go getter tiger!"

Shadi only laughed and quickly left Illidan's room.


	74. Chapter 74: The Storm is Brewing

**Hello once again everyone. I'm glad everyone liked my chapter with Shadi becoming mortal. As for the pairing of Ishizu and Shadi, we'll see. After all, Ishizu has a say in the matter. She could turn him down… Or she could tackle him the moment she sees him, lol. Who knows what may happen, other than me, rofl. At any rate, it's time to get to those reviews.**

**thehyperactivecow: Yep, no one ever thinks of poor Ishizu and Shadi. As for guarding the items, there are really none left to guard at the moment. All that is left is his scales, and they belong to him, so no need to guard the items anymore.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yeah, eyebrow rise indeed, hehe. But it's a good pairing. Or it could be, if Ishizu accepts him, or Marik don't enslave him with the Millennium Rod, hehe. Watches Ryou trying to find the baseball bat again. Ryou: "HIT ME, SOMEBODY! MAKE ME UGLY!" Smacks him in head with foam covered baseball bat. Happy?**

**Brianna Ishtar: I hope he doesn't become emo… I can't have an emo item holder, lol. But yeah, I made him sort of more relaxed. His duty is over, so no need for him to remain distant. Watches Ryou punch himself. Ryou: "MUST BECOME UGLY!"**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, no one seems to have expected that, lol. Shiny, shiny, pretty, pretty! Shutters at saying that. Also smacked in the back of the head for saying that by Marie. Marie: "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO SAY THAT!" Yes dear… I got that saying off _My Gym Partner is a Monkey_ in case anyone wandered. Shutters at that show again.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yes, he's rather sarcastic at times, lol. Only at times, when Marie isn't hurting him for being sarcastic, lol.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, it was a semi short chapter. From time to time, I did throw a short one, but most at least had close to 2000 words when they were short. The longer ones hit the 3000 words mark or so usually. But yeah, poor Shadi. Ah, whey did you have to break up the fight, lol? Has an idea. Let's put them in a mud… Smacked the back of the head again by Marie. Never mind… Just ignore my ideas… Lol, but poor Ryou. Now there is twice the wish for ugliness.**

**Well, all this week I'll post a chapter, due that the entire thing spans over seven days, so I hope you all enjoy it. Till tomorrow, enjoy.**

**Chapter 74**

Once Shadi finally left Illidan's room, Illidan went over to look at the clock that was beside his bed. By the way the light looked in his room, he guessed it was nearly dawn. Sure enough, the clock said it was nearly six o'clock. He only had an hour or two left to prepare for his duel.

"_So, this is it at last. Me and Yami will duel, and if I'm to fulfill my destiny, I have to beat him._" he thought silently. Slowly, Illidan headed for the shower and came out in new clothes. He put on his favorite jeans again and decided to go with a white undershirt and black button up shirt that had orange flames on it.

Deciding to have a special breakfast, Illidan cooked up some potatoes, sausage, bacon, eggs, and toast. After he finished up, Illidan ate in silence and then did his dishes. Satisfied with his meal, he then headed over to his computer.

Settling down, he started reading on the fan fiction **Otherworld** again. Slowly, he let his imagination drift away through the story, imagining how the characters would look and interact. Once done with the new chapters from it, he discovered a new story named **Fragile Dreams**. This story tied in with the other, and the story deeply interested Illidan.

After reading for quite a while, he stopped, seeing he only had twenty minutes left till his duel. He decided to quickly meditate to get his mind prepared for the duel. Mentally, he slowly prepared himself for all that he would face.

"_I can do this. The future of my friends and the world are depending on me. If I fail, then it will be on my head, and Gozaburo will control everything. No, I won't let them down. I will fight to the bitter end against him in order to protect my friends and the woman I love. I swore to always protect her, and I will!_"

At last, he finished and opened his eyes. He stood up from his sitting position on the bed and checked his deck quickly, seeing it was definitely ready. Once satisfied, he stuck his deck back in it's deck holder and stuck it on his belt. He then grabbed his Duel Disk and strapped it on.

Ready to leave, Illidan said "Here I come Yami, ready or not!"

Walking out the door, Illidan headed towards the elevator with purpose in his steps. About half way there, he noticed a clock on the wall. It said the time was 7:58 A.M.

One word came to mind when he saw it, and yelled "CRAP!"

He quickly began running, knowing what would happen if he didn't make it. "_If you're not there by 8:00 A.M. sharp, I have to forfeit the duel! I can't forfeit, not now!_"

He ran and ran till he made it to the elevator where Yugi and the judge stood. Illidan was out of breath as he stopped in front of the two.

In a sarcastic voice, the judge said "Well, glad to see you made it Mr. Stormrage. You are just on time. Please proceed into the elevator."

All three then boarded the elevator. Looking out, Illidan saw it was a cloudy morning, and it was raining out. A thunder storm had blown in over night and was there to stay for the day. The wind was whipping and throwing sheets of water against the elevator window. Finally, they arrived at the top of the Duel Tower.

As they walked out, Illidan quickly noticed Gozaburo Kaiba was sitting in his throne next to the field. He had a smirk on his face, making Illidan think he had something evil in mind for their duel, but pushed it aside.

Slowly, the rest of the duelists gathered up in the stands. In the stands, talk was going all about the upcoming duel.

Joey, Tea, Duke, Serenity, and Tristan were talking about it among themselves.

"Joey, does Yugi stand a chance?" asked a timid Tea.

Joey only squinted at the field, and after a moment, said "Well Tea, he does, but he's got to be ready for anything. Illidan is a strong duelist, and he will be hard to stop. To tell you the truth, Yugi will be in one of the most important duels in his career here. If he wins, he'll be number one, and become Intercontinental and World Champion. He has the title King of all Games, but that's just a title Pegasus created for him. But to be honest, it will be close."

"Big brother, do you think Yugi can do it?" then interjected Serenity with so much innocence in her eyes.

Joey looked over at his sister and smiled, saying "Yeah, I do. He just has to watch Illidan close though, and he has to believe in the Heart of the Cards, no matter what."

Duke then took Serenity by the arm gently, saying "Don't worry Serenity, Yugi will win. How about we go grab a seat?"

Tristan quickly butted in, taking Serenity's other arm and saying "Serenity, it's way better over here. Come and sit right over here with **me**."

The two irritated boys then started yelling comments at one another, mostly consisting of "She would rather sit here." and "You have no idea what she wants." Duke and Tristan only continued to argue over where Serenity should sit. Both wanted her love desperately, but ironically, neither had ever had success with her.

Meanwhile, Marik, Ishizu, and Odion were sitting by themselves and talking over the duel as well.

"Sister, do you think the pharaoh can win against Illidan?" asked an inquisitive Marik.

Ishizu turned to Marik and sighed, saying "Only fate knows. Both are undefeated, and both still have as strong a possibility of making it to fight Gozaburo. So, only the fates know now."

Odion then put a gentle hand on his step brother's shoulder, and kindly said "Don't worry Master Marik, all will be fine. The pharaoh will pull through."

Elsewhere in the crowd, Seto sat in deep thought. "_If Yugi proves he's stronger than Illidan, I'll be there to pick up the pieces from this duel. I will take down both Yugi Moto and Illidan Stormrage by the end of this tournament, and then the world will know I am the one and only true champion!_"

The last few in the stands by themselves were Mai, Bakura, and Marie. They were busy as well trying to figure out if Illidan had a chance against the King of Games or not.

"Does he stand a chance Marie?" asked a concerned Bakura.

Marie only smiled, and replied "You have to have faith in him Bakura. He can do it. We just have to believe in him."

"But Yugi has an Egyptian God Card. How can Illidan over come it?" interjected Mai with concern in her voice.

Marie turned to Mai and smiled, saying "That doesn't matter really. Remember, me and Illidan both have defeated each of the God Cards. They are not invincible, and are far from it. We just have to trust in Illidan and hope he pulls through."

Silently in her thoughts, she told herself "_He can do it. I know that he can. Illidan, I love you, and know you can beat the pharaoh. Just believe in yourself and the Heart of the Cards. I will always believe in you, so go out there and win._"

In his throne, Gozaburo only glared down at the field. Silently, he thought to himself "_Ah, the two most powerful weaklings. Their self confidence in themselves will be destroyed soon enough. If either gets to me, I'll break them and leave them a dried up shell. I do hope that Illidan makes it though. If he does, I'll be able to punish him for his crimes to the Gozaburo of the past!_"

Back on the field, the two duelists slowly walked towards one another. In deep thought, Yugi and Yami were talking as spirits.

"_Yugi, this will be the most important duel we've probably ever had up till now. We have to be ready._" Yami said to his young vessel.

Yugi nodded to the spirit, saying "_You're right Yami. We can't make any errors. We have to be ready for anything Illidan throws at us. We are probably equal in strength, even with Slifer the Sky Dragon in our deck._"

Yami nodded back, saying "_Right, so that means we have to be that much more careful. Slifer is powerful, but it won't win the duel for us. We have to just play strategically, and trust in the Heart of the Cards. It will guide us._"

Back on the field, Illidan was also in deep thought as he approached his former ancient friend from five millennia ago. "_Alright, it's me vs. Yami at last. I have to be ready for anything he pulls. I have to be on edge while I face him, and I can't afford any mistakes. I have to remember what I'm fighting for. I'm fighting to save the world, to stop Gozaburo's evil once and for all, and most importantly, I'm fighting to continue to protect Marie. I can't allow that madman Gozaburo to even have a chance to destroy this world or Marie. I won't allow it. If and when I beat Yami, I'll be one step closer to stopping Gozaburo._"

The two and the judge then met in the middle of the ring. The judge cleared his throat, saying "Duelists, the following duel is for the Intercontinental and World Championships. Since Illidan is ranked number one, he has choice of who goes first."

Illidan thought for a second and finally said "I'll go second."

The judge nodded and said "Yugi Moto will go first then. Now duelists, shake hands and then shuffle each others decks."

Extending his hand, both shook hands. Illidan stared at the young man that Illidan had come to learn was known as Yugi, who was the vessel for the pharaoh's spirit.

"Good luck Illidan." he kindly and innocently said.

Suddenly Yugi's body transformed, making room for Yami's spirit. Yami then said "And may this be an honorable duel."

Illidan only smiled at this and replied "Yes, it will be. Good luck Yami."

The two then took out their decks and handed one another their decks. Each shuffled them till they were satisfied at last. Then they returned one another's decks.

Clearing his throat, the judge said "Now duelists, to your positions."

Both slowly walked away from one another to make their way to their spots. Finally, both reached their positions and turned to face one another. As they looked at each other, the storm raged on, seemingly growing more and more intense, which set the mood for the duel that was about to take place.

"Duelists, activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards and begin the duel!" ordered the judge.

Both duelists then brought their arms up and each fired their holo projectors. Once the projectors landed and powered up, the Duel Disks unfolded simultaneously and began powering up.

Smiling, Yami said "I'll bring forth my Dark Magician (2500/2100)!" A powerful purple robed mage with a green staff then appeared, making a memory of the past flash in Illidan's mind.

Shaking his head of the past memory, he then said "Come on out Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The black armor clad soldier with a powerful sword and shield then appeared on the field.

Each then drew their first five cards and looked at one another as lightning flashed and thunder clapped. Each smiled and yelled "LET'S DUEL!"


	75. Chapter 75: Old Rivalry Renewed, Pt 1

**Yawns Good morning everyone. It's not that early here. Actually, it's only seven A.M., but I went to bed at midnight, so I'm tired, lol. Anyways, I'm glad everyone liked the opening chapter to the beginning of the duel. Now to get to some of those reviews.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: I tried hard to show everyone's viewpoint before beginning, that way you'd have a clue that they were alive, lol. Yeah, the platform is covered. There is a small portion of it uncovered, but it's far away enough from the area that it doesn't really matter.**

**thehyperactivecow: He may win, but he could lose. That's the funny thing with destiny. You never know what it will do, hehe.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Glad you finally caught up. As for how Noa's name is spelled, I believe it's without an h. I originally used the h, but then I read an episode guide that had it without an h, so I corrected the spelling. As for that tag duel, Marie had to destroy Lord of Dragons in order to use Creature Swap, I think. The effect of Creature Swap may target a monster specifically, and if that's the case, her plan wouldn't have worked. Hope that answered your questions.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, it's on. Two enter, one leaves undefeated. We'll see about Gozaburo. He wanted a closer view of the duel, which he probably figured would distract the two even more. We'll see though, hehe.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, it was difficult. Checks Ryou. He's both, lol. They fused back together… Ryou: "Someone save me!" Silly Ryou, hehe.**

**Yawns again. I should have slept more yesterday with my fiancé. Yes, we slept, you perverts, as in took a nap. Still, I could have used some more sleep than we got, but nearly two hours was good enough.**

**Btw, my fiancé has finished another chapter of her _History of the Millennium Items_, so I'm going to post it for her soon. Thought I'd just let everyone know before I did it. Lol, I have to run through it before I post it and try to find her grammar mistakes. That'll take a while, hehe. Gets smacked in the head as usual by fiancé.**

**Anyways, I'll post once again tomorrow. I hope everyone enjoys the duel. Till tomorrow, good day.**

**Chapter 75**

Yami slowly drew his sixth card and seemed to examine his hand. After a moment, he smiled, saying "I'll begin the duel by summoning my Skilled White Magician (1700/1900) to the field in attack mode." A mage dressed in white robes then appeared on the field. He then smacked the end of his white scepter on the ground, signifying he was ready for a fight.

"Next I'll set two cards face down on the field and end my turn." (Yami 8000, Illidan 8000)

Staring at the monster on the field, Illidan tried hard to determine something. "_I've seen that monster before, but I don't know where. Wait, it was Skilled Dark Magician that I've seen before. That's why I don't remember seeing this one. That means this one has some kind of ability as well. Hmm, I just don't know what yet. I'll have to be careful in this duel. Yami could have a few surprises in stored for me._"

Illidan drew his sixth card and examined his hand. He had drawn Thunder Nyan Nyan, and already had Mirror Force, Scapegoat, Thunder Nyan Nyan, United We Stand, Change of Heart, and Kuriboh.

Looking up from his hand, he said "Alright Yami, I'll start by summoning my Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode." The female monster with red hair and leopard print leotard then appeared on the field with her drums in front of her. She then pulled out two drumsticks and began to bash the drums loudly.

"Now I'll set two cards face down as well. Thunder Nyan Nyan, attack Skilled White Magician with Drum Bashing!" The female monster jumped up from behind her drums and charged towards the white robed mage.

Midway there, Yami smirked and said "You activated my face down magic card, Book of Moon! Now you're monster is flipped to face down defense mode, thus ending your attack." A large blue book then appeared on the field and slammed into the red headed monster. She was stopped in her tracks and instantly disappeared. Then a face down defensive monster card image appeared on Illidan's side of the field.

Illidan lightly growled in frustration at Yami, which caused Yami to only lightly chuckle. Yami then said "Also, thanks to the activation of my magic card, Skilled White Magician's effect is activated. Each time a magic card is activated, he gains one spell counter. So, since I just used Book of Moon, he now has one spell counter." One of three weird looking buttons on the mage then glowed. He had a button on each shoulder and one underneath his collar. The one on his left shoulder had glowed, which Illidan understood was representing the spell counter.

Sighing, Illidan said "I end my turn…"

Before Illidan could finish, Yami interrupted, saying "Not quite Illidan. Before you end, I reveal my face down magic card Mystical Space Typhoon! Now I can destroy one magic or trap card on your field, and I'll use it on your left face down card!" A typhoon then flew across the field and smashed through the face down card image, which was forced face up to reveal Mirror Force.

"So, that was Mirror Force. Next my Skilled White Magician's special effect is triggered. He now gains yet another spell counter." Yet another one of the three buttons glowed. This time, it was the one on the right shoulder of the mage.

Sighing, Illidan said "I'll end my turn then." (Yami 8000, Illidan 8000)

Yami drew and smirked at the card in his hand. He then looked up at Illidan, saying "I know exactly what I have to do this turn. First I play Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) in attack mode." A mage, who looked somewhat like the white robed mage, then appeared on the field. The main differences were this mage was wearing black robes and had more attack points, but less defense points.

"Next my Deck Master adds 500 attack points to Skilled Dark Magician (2400/1700) since he has the name "Dark Magician" in his name." The mage in purple robes then aimed his staff at the black robed mage and fired a beam at him that increased the black robed mage's power.

"I'm not done yet Illidan. Watch as I play the magic card known as Monster Gate!" A shimmering rift then appeared on the field. It was multicolored, and appeared to lead to another place.

"This card allows me to sacrifice one of my monsters on the field in order to draw from my deck till I find a monster. So, I'll sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician to Monster Gate." The black robed mage then jumped into the rift, causing the rift to glow brighter as it seemed to prepare for something else.

"I draw now, and the first card I draw is Dust Tornado, which is automatically sent to the Graveyard. Next I draw Jar of Greed, which as well goes to my Graveyard. The next card is a monster known as Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)! She is now summoned to the field in attack mode." The rift rippled as a young beautiful girl in a skimpy blue and pink dress with an odd magician's hat and blue boots popped out. She let out a small giggle and twirled around and struck a pose.

Smiling at his new monster, Yami then said "Thanks to my Deck Master, Dark Magician Girl now gains 500 additional attack points as well (2500/1700)." The purple robed mage smiled at the young girl and aimed his staff at her and let out a small blast of energy, which the young girl bathed in. Magical energies seemed to build around her as her power increased. Once she finished bathing in the power, she opened her eyes up and brought her staff out in front of herself in an offensive stance.

"And let's not forget my Skilled White Magician, shall we Illidan. Thanks to my move, he gained yet another spell counter, making him a total of three." The final button under the white robed mage's collar glowed, showing that all three buttons were now lit up.

"Thanks to that final spell counter, I can activate Skilled White Magician's special effect. When he has three spell counters, I can remove all three and sacrifice him as well in order to special summon Buster Blader from my hand, deck, or Graveyard. So I choose to summon Buster Blader from my deck." Yami then pulled his deck out and looked through it till he found his monster. He then shuffled his deck and reinserted into his Duel Disk.

"And now, I remove all three spell counters and sacrifice Skilled White Magician in order to summon Buster Blader (2600/2300) in attack mode!" All buttons glowed brighter as the mage disappeared from the field. Then the white light died down as a purple warrior with some gold outlining his body and a large lance on his back appeared in the mage's place.

Illidan lightly growled, thinking "_Just great… Now he has two powerful monsters out. Perfect…_"

Yami admired his field, and then said "I'm not yet done Illidan. I now play the magic card called Premature Burial. This allows me to bring back a monster from my Graveyard in attack mode at a cost of 800 life points. So I choose my Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700)." A glow appeared on the field as the black robed mage once again reappeared on the field.

"And again, my Dark Magician's Deck Master ability is triggered, granting the mage another 500 attack points (2400/1700)." Again, the purple robed mage pointed at the black robed mage and let an energy boosting beam hit the black robed mage, who gladly accepted as his power rose.

"Now my magician duo and warrior are ready for battle. Skilled Dark Magician, take out his face down monster with Skilled Dark Magic Attack!" The black robed mage aimed his staff straight at the face down card image and let a powerful blast of dark energy fly from his staff. The blast instantly crushed the card image, and the red headed female monster that had been on the field before was easily destroyed.

"Dark Magician Girl, attack Illidan directly with…"

Illidan only lightly smirked, saying "Hold on Yami, I activate my face down magic card, Scapegoat! This magic card allows me to special summon four Scapegoat Tokens (0/0) to the field in defense mode." Four colored goats then appeared on the field. A blue, pink, orange, and red set of goats each took a place in front of Illidan.

Lightly frustrated obviously, Yami only said "Fine then Illidan, have it your way. Dark Magician Girl, attack a Scapegoat Token with Burning Magic Attack!" The female mage twirled her scepter around in front of herself and finally fired a blast of black energy directly at the blue goat, which was easily blown away by the attack.

"Buster Blader, now attack a Scapegoat Token with your Dragon Blade Slash!" The purple warrior let out a small cry and dashed across the field. As he neared the goat, he pulled his large lance off his back and slashed the orange goat in half, which easily exploded.

"That will end my turn. Consider yourself lucky this turn Illidan. I have many plans in stored for you during this duel." (Yami 7200, Illidan 8000)

Sighing, Illidan now examined what he could do. "_I'm down to two Scapegoat Tokens, so I'm safe for the moment. There has to be a monster in my deck that can save me now though. I just have to believe in the Heart of the Cards._"

He drew and looked at his Spirit Reaper card. Sighing slightly, he placed the card in his hand and smirked at a thought. He then lightly chuckled and said "Alright Yami, time for me to turn things around this turn. First, I start things off by summoning Kuriboh (300/200) in attack mode." A little brown dust bunny like creature with short stubby green hands and feet and large purple eyes then appeared on the field.

Shocked, Yami asked "But why would you play Kuriboh, especially in attack mode? You know as well as I do that Kuriboh isn't that strong."

Illidan only smirked at the confusion on Yami's face, and replied "Yes, I know the Kuriboh isn't that strong, but who said I was going to leave it at this. Next I play the magic card Change of Heart, allowing me to take control one of your monsters for the turn, and I'll pick your Dark Magician Girl!" The female mage let out a small shocked gulp as she suddenly moved from Yami's field to Illidan's field.

Yami only growled lightly at this, fearing for his monster. Illidan reassured him with "Don't worry Yami. I'm not going to sacrifice her. In fact, I can't now that I summoned Kuriboh, but I do have plans for her."

Yami only lightly smirked though, and said "By the way Illidan, since she's now on your side of the field, she loses the 500 bonus attack points she gained from my Deck Master (2000/1700)."

Illidan only nodded, replying with "But of course Yami. I knew that from the start."

In the stands, Marik suddenly said to his sister "I know what he's going to do now. He did the same thing against me and my Winged Dragon of Ra. He played Kuriboh, making me think it was weak, but he then played that magic card, United We Stand. That's his plan I bet sister. He's banking on United We Stand to strengthen his monster enough to combat Yami's monsters."

Ishizu only nodded, knowing the pharaoh was now in for a surprise from his friend from ancient times.

Meanwhile, Yami only looked on, conversing with Yugi in his mind. "_I don't get it Yugi. Why play Kuriboh? It isn't strong enough to beat any of our monsters, unless he's planning on setting a trap for us._"

Yugi only replied with "_I don't know either Yami. It doesn't make sense to play Kuriboh, especially in attack mode. As far as I know, he doesn't have a Multiply magic card, so that can't be his plan. Then what is it?_"

They were then interrupted when Illidan said "I now equip Kuriboh with the equip magic card known as United We Stand! This magic card increases his points by 800 for each face up monster on my side of the field. Since I have four at the moment, that means he gains 3200 additional points (3500/3400)." The brown monster then glowed with a multicolored light as his power increased, making him the strongest on the field.

Yami then realized what was happening and mentally said to Yugi "_Of course, that's what he was up to. I should have known that was Illidan's plan, and now he has the ability to take both our monsters down and do damage to us directly._"

Yugi only sighed and replied with "_Yeah Yami, he sure did. Now we're at his mercy, for now._"

Back on the field, Illidan studied the field quickly, making sure his plan would work. Smiling due that Yami had left himself wide open, Illidan said "Kuriboh, attack Yami's Buster Blader with Self Contact Explosion!" The small brown fur ball quickly leapt across the field and smashed into the purple warrior, causing a large explosion. The warrior moaned as it exploded, and from the debris appeared a charred black fur ball.

Smirking at the condition of his monster, Illidan then refocused and said "Now that Kuriboh attacked and destroyed one of your monsters, my Deck Master's special ability kicks in. Now he can attack a second time. Kuriboh, attack Yami's Skilled Dark Magician with Self Contact Explosion!" The fur ball quickly shook off the charred fur off his body and bound across the field again. This time, he plowed straight into the black robed mage, causing an instant explosion which blew away the mage easily. Again, a little charred fur ball flew back out of the debris.

"Dark Magician Girl, direct attack Yami with Burning Magic Attack!" The female mage seemed to sigh slightly and then fired it's dark energy blast straight at the pharaoh, causing him to slide backwards slightly.

Smiling at what he had accomplished, Illidan said "That ends my turn. Of course, Dark Magician Girl now returns to your side of the field, thus weakening Kuriboh slightly (2700/2600)." The mage quickly bounded back across the field, seemingly instantly happy that she was where she had started from. (Yami 3200, Illidan 8000)


	76. Chapter 76: Old Rivalry Renewed, Pt 2

**Hey guys. Well, at least I'm not yawning again this morning, yet. Damn medicine almost put me to sleep yesterday at work, which kind of sucked. I'm sure the guy I worked with thought I was going to nod off and was not listening to him, but I was, barely, hehe. But he's impressed with what I've done so far, and thinks I'm learning at a fast pace, so I'm feeling better about the job. Yawns Damn sleepiness. At any rate, enough about my fun sleepiness at work. So at that, let's get down to the reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, it didn't take long for the duel to heat up. Both Yami and Illidan are throwing everything they have at one another, and it will be a grudge match for sure. Sorry I've yet to check out your new chapter. Things have been semi crazy around here, not to mention I have a stack of stories to read. On top of that, I want to write on my own, but have yet to have time really. Sighs Soon though, more than likely tonight or tomorrow (Wednesday) I'll have time.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Yep, he's winning, lol. As per the rules, yeah, I tried hard throughout all my duels to stick to real life rules. Sometimes I bent them, or broke them to match the show to an extent, but for the most part, I followed the rules. Lol, I didn't do as the show did many a times, which was impossible rule breaking to the extreme. Plus it helps that I play the game myself, so I know what works and what don't. Watches Ryou run away as usual.**

**thehyperactivecow: True, you never know, but that's the funny thing about destiny. I sort of don't believe in it, but at times I do. In a way, I felt like I was destined to meet my fiancé, but so many other things, I don't follow it. Shakes head Gotta stop getting side tracked, lol. But yes, I control everyone's destiny in this story, hehe.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: I know, so much happened in one turn. It was kind of insane. But yeah, it'll be an interesting duel till the end.**

**Isis the Sphinx: No, she probably didn't, but she didn't have much of a choice, hehe. Don't worry about the last chapter, lol. It happens. And I'll check your story out once I get a free moment.**

**Things have been kind of crazy since Saturday. First, I spent the entire day helping my dad in the hayfield from 11 A.M. to 11 P.M. Sure, we had a few breaks, but damn, it took all day. Well, during that time, I found out the car I've been wanting to get was possible. The price went down to 10800, so I decided to get it. I'm supposed to go possibly get it today. I'm happy, hehe. I can't wait to drive it home.**

**Anyways, enough about me. My fiancé is about ready to have me post another chapter. She gave me what she had, and I must say, she did a fine job. I'll more than likely post it tonight or tomorrow morning. We'll see in the near future.**

**That's all I have. Btw, I've put off work on my sequel to _The Wolves Seal_ so that I could write a small one-shot. It'd help everyone out if I write it first I figured, so I decided to write it. Not to mention, I've yet to come up with a title for the sequel, hehe. I'll figure one out, eventually, lol. At any rate, till tomorrow, enjoy.**

**Chapter 76**

Yami drew his next card and lightly chuckled, saying "You made quite a nice move last turn Illidan. I'm surprised you took out my monsters like that, but you made a mistake by leaving me my Dark Magician Girl. Now, I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards." He quickly drew his two new cards off his deck and smiled at them.

"Too bad for you Illidan that your move might have been the last good one you'll make for a while. I now play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Buster Blader (2600/2300)." The purple warrior with gold trim on his body then reappeared on the field swinging his powerful lance.

"Now I move my Dark Magician into play (2500/2100)." The purple robed mage then jumped onto the field and crossed his arms with his staff still in his hand.

Illidan watched this unfold and realized one thing. "_Yami is taking a big risk now. What has he got planned for me now?_"

Up in the stands, Joey and the others only wondered what Yugi could be thinking.

"Is he nuts? Summoning his Deck Master to the field is extremely dangerous. He could lose the duel this way!" exclaimed Joey.

"Calm down big brother. I'm sure Yugi knows what he's doing." replied Serenity as she grabbed Joey's arm, attempting hard to calm him down.

Tea only looked at Joey and said "Trust him Joey. Yugi knows what he's doing. He wouldn't do anything he knew would cause him to lose the duel. So, just believe in him."

Back on the field, Yami mentally said to Yugi "_Yugi, if this works, Illidan will be painted into a corner. But if we fail, we'll be almost certainly at his mercy. Do you think it's still a good plan?_"

Yugi only nodded to Yami and said "_It's worth the risk Yami. We have to try something that Illidan wouldn't ever think we'd try. If we don't, we'll never know if we can beat him. Let's do it partner!_"

Yami nodded mentally back and replied "_Then let's do it._"

Yami then focused on the duel again and said "Alright Illidan, now I play this magic card, Polymerization! I'll now fuse my Dark Magician and my Buster Blader together, forming Dark Paladin (2900/2400)!" Both the purple robed mage and purple warrior then swirled together. Lightning flashed as a new monster appeared in their place. This monster looked like a warrior, but also looked much more like a mage. He wore black armor with orange streaks here and there. His skin was a light shade of blue, and his eyes were mysterious. He then swung his mighty staff that looked like a sword combined with his staff.

Shocked, Illidan thought mentally "_This is what Yami was up to. He wanted to summon this fusion monster, but why?_"

Yami broke Illidan's thoughts up by saying "Meet my new Deck Master, Illidan. This monster has abilities even you don't know about, but I know them all. First and for most, like Dark Magician, he raises the attack points of monsters, but only specific ones on my side of the field. Those include spellcasters and warriors. That means Dark Magician Girl still keeps her extra 500 attack points. Also, it increases Dark Paladin's own attack points, seeing how he's a spellcaster as well (3400/2400). Also, since I sent Dark Magician to the Graveyard technically, Dark Magician Girl gains 300 additional attack points." The young female mage then glowed as she accepted energy from her fallen teacher and friend.

"Next I'll play the magic card Diffusion Wave-Motion! In order to play this card, I must first give up 1000 life points. Next I equip it to Dark Paladin for this turn. And now, allow me to introduce him properly. Dark Paladin, attack Illidan's monsters, starting with his Scapegoat Tokens and then finally his Kuriboh with Dark Magic Blade Slash!"

The black armored mage let out a war cry as he raised his staff into the air. Blades of energy went flying first at the small goat creatures, which were instantly crushed. Their destruction instantly weakened the small brown fur ball monster considerably (1100/1000). Another energy blade then went flying from the staff of the mage, easily slashing the fur ball monster in half and causing a massive explosion.

"Unfortunately, I have to end my turn due that Dimension Wave-Motion only allows one monster to attack this turn. Make your move, if you dare Illidan." (Yami 3200, Illidan 6500)

Illidan sighed happily that Yami couldn't attack a second time, but still, he wasn't out of the woods just yet. "_This isn't looking good. Last turn I got the jump on him and easily overtook him. But now, his Dark Paladin has turned things around. If I could destroy it, I could win this duel. But how do I destroy it when I have nothing in my hand capable of it?_"

Slowly, Illidan glanced at his hand, scanning for anything that could help him. All he saw that could help him was possibly his Spirit Reaper, and it alone couldn't win the duel. Sighing, he slowly devised a strategy. "_I can use Spirit Reaper as a shield for now, but I need something to get me back in the game._"

Illidan then looked at his deck and thought "_There has to be a card in my deck that can save me now. I just have to draw it. Here goes._"

He drew his next card and smiled, thinking "_Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. But I can't waste this card yet. I have to wait a little longer._"

"I set one monster in defense mode and end my move." (Yami 3200, Illidan 4500)

"Hmm, so that's all you could do Illidan?" asked a curious Yami.

Illidan only nodded, knowing he could, but really couldn't. "_I could do something else, but it's not yet time. Besides, I bet that new Deck Master of his can save itself. No need in wasting my opportunities._"

Yami then drew another card and smirked, saying "Well, that's too bad Illidan, because I'm about to cut your life points down a little farther. Dark Magician Girl, attack his face down monster with Burning Magic Attack!" Twirling her scepter playfully, the mage quickly then pointed it at the face down card image and released a blast of black energy. The blast struck the card image, causing a small explosion and a puff of smoke to appear. When the smoke cleared, there stood a small grim reaper like creature with a scythe in it's hands.

Shocked, Yami asked "What happened?"

Illidan lightly chuckled and responded with "You attacked my Spirit Reaper (300/200), and it is capable of surviving any battle with a monster. That means it can't be destroyed by attacking it. After all, you've seen it before this duel, so you should know about it."

Yami slightly remembered facing this creature before in a tag team duel against Illidan and Marie and sighed, saying "Of course. I remember now. Well, in that case, I end my turn." (Yami 3200, Illidan 6500)

Illidan drew his next card and smiled, knowing this card would complete his combo. "I play the magic card called Card of Sanctity, allowing both of us to draw till we hold six cards in our hands. So now I'll…"

Yami smirked and said "Not so fast Illidan, I activate Dark Paladin's special ability. He can now negate your magic card's effect by me discarding one card from my hand, rendering your card useless."

Illidan was in shock and yelled "No way! You mean he can negate magic cards?"

Nodding, Yami replied with "That is one of his normal abilities. So you just wasted a card. Too bad for you."

Growling, Illidan realized one thing. "_Great… I can't use magic cards against that thing as long as Yami has cards in his hand. Now what?_"

Sighing, he slowly said "I'll end my turn then." (Yami 3200, Illidan 6500)

Yami drew his next card and said "I'll first activate my Deck Master's special ability. Like Dark Magician, I can now bring back a magic card from my Graveyard at a cost of 500 life points. So, I pay 500 life points, allowing me to bring back my Monster Reborn. Next I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Dark Magician (2500/2100)." The purple robed mage then reappeared on the field and took his usual crossed arms stance.

Smirking slightly, Yami said "I now sacrifice Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl in order to special summon the Sorcerer of Dark Magic (3200/2800)!" A powerful mage with a long black, nearly dark purple, cape then appeared. He wore the same colored gloves, and a small hat like the Dark Magician's. Unlike the Dark Magician though, he had armor that connected to his cape, and then a blue-green robe under the robe. His eyes were sky blue and his hair blonde. In his hand was a powerful staff that had a crystal held in what looked like some kind of tri-prong claw.

"Thanks to my Deck Master, he gains 500 additional attack points (3700/2800)." The black armored mage then pointed his sword like staff at the new mage and fired a beam of energy. The new mage bathed in it's power as he glowed with mystical energy.

"I now activate my Deck Master's special ability again. This means I give up 500 life points in order to bring back a magic card. And I choose Monster Reborn again. And now I play it in order to revive my Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!" The female mage then reappeared on the field and twirled about.

"That will end my turn for now. Make your move Illidan." (Yami 2200, Illidan 6500)


	77. Chapter 77: Old Rivalry Renewed, Pt 3

**Hello once more. Tuesday was a great day. First, I got my new car, a Chevy Cobalt. It's yellow, standard, and just great to drive. I then took a trip out to see my fiancé since I was so close by. I showed her the car, and she loved it as well. Then we even got to spend some personal time, making me that much happier. Only bad thing that happened was her computer doesn't work now, so I have to take it to get fixed. Oh well, but enough about Tuesday.**

**I'm sure you all were wondering where I vanished to. Well, Wednesday morning when I tried to post, I got an error on FanFic, which didn't allow me to post. I tried several times, but finally gave up. I tried again Wednesday evening, but again, was denied. So, I left a post on the faq/help area. Well, Thursday morning came up, and still nothing. Again, I tried again Thursday evening, but still, nothing. So, I updated my problem in faq/help. I tried once more this morning, but got nothing. Now, this morning, I was a bit irritated. It had been three days with no results. I decided to calm down though, and thought when I got home from work things would be alright. Well, again, I was disappointed. I'd had it with the staff, so I updated again, letting them know I was rather irritated that it had been three days. Apparently, someone finally read my problem, due that I'm able to post again. So, hopefully all will be well. Btw, Metal Overlord, I wasn't mad at your crack. I found it humorous really. One girl once said I sounded like I was from California, lol. So, no worries.**

**At any rate, time for the reviews at long last.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah. I thought I'd make his deck have some kind of order, but at the same time, use what the show has. That would be a good strategy with Spell Absorption. I believe the card was out at the time. Yes, I know it was after thinking about it. And yeah, Spirit Reaper won't last forever. LOL! Yeah, I live in the country, aka middle of nowhere, aka, West Virginia. And I happen to live in the center of the state, aka, nothing around at all, lol. I was a college student when I wrote this story actually. I just got out a little over a year ago. I think it was the start of my senior year when I began my story actually. Btw, living rural helps hide my secret, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: He has more points, but that don't always matter. Thanks, I tried hard to keep Yami in-character. Points and laughs at ashes. Well, it's still got grey hair at least, lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: He's on a comeback, so maybe he can turn things around. You never know in duels involving those two.**

**thehyperactivecow: Yep, he's owning at the moment. And yes, the duel is always up for grabs, except with Bandit Keith, lol. He just can't win, hehe.**

**Isis the Sphinx: He'd definitely in over his head, but there is always hope. Never know what card he drew that he's saving, hehe. Yes, early mornings suck, much like this one, lol.**

**Btw, I'm getting ready to post my fiancé's new chapter of _The History of the Millennium Items_. It's a great chapter, and I think anyone who reads it will agree. Probably be soon, like after I'm done here.**

**Well, until Sunday, I hope you all enjoy my chapter.**

**Chapter 77**

Illidan only looked at his deck, thinking silently "_There has to be a card in my deck that can help me. I just have to draw it. If I could take down his Deck Master, I'll be able to win this duel. I just need one card to destroy it. Heart of the Cards, please guide me._"

Slowly, he drew his next card and smiled at it, knowing now he had a fighting chance. "I set one card face down on the field. That ends my move." (Yami 2200, Illidan 6500)

Yami then drew, saying "Very well Illidan, it's my move. I set one card face down and end …"

Illidan quickly interrupted, saying "Not so fast there Yami! I reveal my face down trap card, Ring of Destruction!" A huge collar with explosives on the sides of it then appeared on the field. It was just floating there, seemingly waiting for orders.

"I'll now attach this trap to your Dark Paladin, which will instantly destroy him, dealing damage equal to both of us in the amount of his attack points. Since he's your Deck Master, you'll automatically lose, not to mention you'll lose due to the depletion of your life points. So say good bye Yami!" The collar started spinning wildly then and flew across the field at incredible speed. As it neared the dark armored mage, the mage with his cloak flapping in the wind jumped in front of the collar and struck it with his scepter, instantly destroying the collar.

Shocked, Illidan asked "What happened?"

Yami only smirked, saying "Illidan, you should have known my Sorcerer of Dark Magic had some kind of effect, or I wouldn't have summoned him. His effect negates any trap cards that I wish him to and he then destroys them. That's why your Ring of Destruction failed to take down my monster."

Growling, Illidan quickly realized something. "_He's now taken away my ability to use magic and trap cards. I now have to rely on monster effects only._"

Yami finally said "Well, since your attempt to take my monster is over, I'll now end my turn." (Yami 2200, Illidan 6500)

Illidan sighed as his turn started. Looking at his deck, he knew there was something he could do. Slowly, he drew his next card and slightly smiled at it. Turning to look up at Yami, he said "I first summon my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) to the field in defense mode." A woman with purple hair and flowing black robes appeared on the field in a sitting position.

Slightly smiling, Illidan continued, saying "It's time I take care of your Deck Master and put this fight to an end. I remove from play from my Graveyard my Thunder Nyan Nyan and Kuriboh in order to special summon my Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" A large black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field and stretched it's large wings. It let out a horrifying roar, showing it was ready to fight.

Yami only smirked at this, saying "You triggered my Dark Paladin's special effect. Now he gains 500 additional attack points due that you have a dragon on the field (3900/2400)." The black armored mage slightly glowed for a moment and then returned to normal.

Illidan only lightly chuckled, saying "That don't matter Yami. As you know, my dragon has a special ability of his own. And you know what that means."

It suddenly hit Yami what Illidan was stalking about. Sweat seemed to be appearing on his brow as he knew what was about to happen.

"It's time I end this little skirmish, right here and now! I now give up 1000 life points, in order to activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's special effect. I can now destroy everything on the field and in our hands, thus dealing 300 points per a card sent to the Graveyard by my dragon, but that won't matter due that your Deck Master is going down! Chaos Emperor Dragon, use your Infinite Blaster!" The dragon then roared and flew to the center of the field. Once there, it landed and began to glow with a shimmering light. Bit by bit, it's power increased as it prepared to finish the duel.

Yami quickly called out "I activate my face down magic card, De-Fusion! This will separate my Dark Paladin back into Buster Blader and Dark Magician!" The black armored mage then glowed as it split back apart into the purple robed mage and purple warrior.

"Next I activate Dark Magician's final Deck Master ability! By removing five magic cards from play from my Graveyard, I can move Dark Magician back to his Deck Master position. So, I remove Book of Moon, Mystical Space Typhoon, Monster Gate, Monster Reborn, and De-Fusion from the Graveyard. Now my Dark Magician is out of harms way." With the five cards removed from play, the purple robed mage quickly leapt back off the field and to the side of his master.

Illidan lightly growled, knowing he had lost his chance to win. "_Great, I won't win the duel now, but there is a small advantage to this. I'll have more life points when things clear out, so I'll be better off, for the time being._"

After all the action had finished, the black dragon let out another loud roar. At long last, the shimmering light glowed much brighter and a huge explosion ensued. The monsters and other cards no the field exploded, and the explosion knocked Yami to one knee. He was sitting there, panting hard, trying hard to find the strength to stand back up. A great deal of smoke filled the field after the explosion, making it rather difficult to see anything. Slowly, Yami stood back up, showing he wasn't ready to quit yet.

Illidan cleared his throat then, saying "Thanks to my Witch of the Black Forest's effect, I can draw one new monster from my deck with 1500 or less defense points. And I'll choose my Slate Warrior. Next, the damage from my dragon's attack is calculated. Since you had three monsters and one card in your hand, and I had three monsters, the total of cards is seven. Now you lose seven times 300 points a card, which is 2100. That ends my turn." (Yami 100, Illidan 5500)

Yami stood there for a moment still panting, showing that the blast had indeed done a great deal of damage to him. Illidan lightly mused in his thoughts about the fact Yami was still fighting on. "_He's down to his last 100 life points, yet he's fighting on. I have to give him credit. At this point, I'd be pretty weakened as well._"

At last, Yami caught his breath and looked over at Illidan, saying with confidence in his voice "This duel isn't over yet Illidan. So observe as I draw. I'll play the magic card Swords of Revealing Light, stopping your attacks for three whole turns!" Suddenly several swords of light fell from the sky straight in front of Illidan, seemingly trapping him on his side of the field.

"Now I end my move." (Yami 100, Illidan 5500)

Smirking, Illidan realized something. "_He still has a lot of fight left in him. I know he won't give up without a fight, but I'm intending to win this duel at all costs, so I have no choice but to pull out all the stops._"

Drawing, Illidan decided he had little choice but to wait Yami out. "I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800) in defense mode." A pink creature with wings and metal arms crossed then appeared on the field.

"That'll end my turn." (Yami 100, Illidan 5500)

Yami drew and said "Good, cause it's once again my move. Now I summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in defense mode." A blonde headed female knight in pink armor appeared on the field. She had a triangle like shield and a sword. She was in a one knee position with her shield out for defense.

"That'll end my move." (Yami 100, Illidan 5500)

Illidan drew his next card and sighed, saying "I'll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700) in defense mode." A grey magnet creature with a sword and shield then appeared in a one knee defensive stance.

"That ends my turn." (Yami 100, Illidan 5500)

Yami then drew his card and smiled slightly, saying "I play King's Knight (1600/1400) in defense mode." An older male knight with sandy blonde hair and red armor then appeared in a one knee position for defense. This knight had a circular shield and a sword. He raised both in a defensive position.

"And now, King's Knight's special ability is activated. When King's Knight and Queen's Knight are both on the field, I can special summon Jack's Knight (1900/1000) from my deck to the field in defensive mode!" A third knight with blonde hair and wearing blue armor then appeared in a defensive stance. This knight had a normal looking shield and was much younger than the older knight.

"That ends my turn." (Yami 100, Illidan 5500)

Slowly, Illidan assessed the field. "_He has three monsters on the field now. If he draws Slifer, he can summon it, but there is one problem with that. Slifer's attack points depend on how many cards Yami is holding. Since he has none right now, it would be 0 attack points and 0 defense points. So, I'd be safe, at the least. Still, I'll be in real trouble if Slifer does come out. I still have to wait another turn to attack though due to Swords of Revealing Light._"

Illidan drew his card and slightly smirked at the monster, and then turned his attention back to the field. "I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600) in defense mode." A yellow magnet creature then appeared with it's arms crossed in a one knee position.

"By the way Yami, once I end my turn, your Swords of Revealing Light end. So, with that, I'll end my turn." The many swords of lightly slowly faded away with the ending of Illidan's move. (Yami 100, Illidan 5500)

Taking a deep breath, Yami drew his card and smiled. "I place one card face down. That'll end my move then." (Yami 100, Illidan 5500)


	78. Chapter 78: Old Rivalry Renewed, Pt 4

**Chapter 78**

Illidan drew his next card and glanced at Yami's field. "_He has a face down waiting on me. I have to finish this duel though, and I can end it now if his trap don't stop me. I have to take the chance. Here goes…_"

"I'll summon Slate Warrior (1900/400) to the field in attack mode." The blue fiend with his gold armor and large halberd on his back then appeared, showing his readiness to win the battle.

"Next I switch all three of my Magnet Warriors into attack mode." All three warriors stood up and shook off their defensive stances, showing a signs of offense.

"Slate Warrior, attack Queen's Knight with …"

Yami interrupted, saying "Not so fast Illidan, I reveal the trap card Zero Gravity! When this trap is activated, all face up monsters switch their battle positions. That means attack mode monsters go to defense and defense mode monsters go to attack mode. So, that means your monsters all go into defense, while my monsters all switch to attack mode." All of Yami's monsters then stood up and drew their weapons, while all of Illidan's went to one knee defensive stances.

"_Great… Now my monsters are back in defense. To make matters worse, Slate Warrior is in danger now of being destroyed by the wrong monster. That's just typical._" Illidan thought with sarcasm. Illidan only sighed and said "I end my move then." (Yami 100, Illidan 5500)

Yami drew slowly and smiled. "I play the magic card called Poison of the Old Man! This magic card now allows me to gain 1200 life points. Next, I invoke my Deck Master's special ability, allowing me to return one magic card from my Graveyard at a cost of 500 life points, and I chose to bring back Poison of the Old Man again. Next I play it again, gaining another 1200 life points. So, I may have lost 500 points total, but I gained 1900 altogether. Now I switch Queen's Knight to defense mode. Jack's Knight, attack Illidan's Gamma the Magnet Warrior with Royal Slash!"

The blue armored knight quickly leapt across the field and struck the pink magnet creature, easily causing it to moan as it exploded into millions of pieces.

"King's Knight, attack Illidan's Slate Warrior with Royal Slash!" The red armored knight quickly leapt across the field and brought his sword down hard onto the blue skinned fiend, which was easily slashed. Before exploding though, the fiend stabbed the knight in the shoulder with is halberd, causing the older knight to scream in pain. The blue fiend then exploded, leaving the older knight in pain.

Yami was surprised by this action and asked "What did your monster do to my King's Knight!"

Illidan only lightly chuckled, replying with "Since you destroyed Slate Warrior with King's Knight, Slate Warrior's special effect kicked in. Your King's Knight now loses 500 attack and defense points (1100/900)."

Nodding, Yami said "Very well then, I end my move." (Yami 2000, Illidan 5500)

Illidan drew his next card and smiled slightly at Waboku. "I'll place one card face down, and then switch Beta the Magnet Warrior to attack mode. Beta, attack his King's Knight with Magnetic Polarity Punch!" The yellow magnet creature quickly glided across the field and struck the red armored knight, causing him to scream as the heavy magnet hand had buried deep into his gut. The knight then exploded from the punch, leaving Yami with only two knights.

"My Deck Master's special ability kicks in now! Since I destroyed a monster with Beta, he can now attack again. Beta, attack his Queen's Knight with Magnetic Polarity Punch!" Again the yellow magnet creature glided across the field and this time struck the female knight in pink with his fist. His fist crushed through her shield and then into her body, making her cry out in pain as she exploded.

"You're down to one monster now Yami. It won't be too much longer till you have none. I end my move." (Yami 1400, Illidan 5500)

Yami only concentrated his eyes on his deck and then drew, slightly smiling at his new card. "I play the magic card known as Spell Absorption. This continuous magic card allows me to gain 500 additional life points each time a magic card is played. Next I activate my Deck Master's special ability, allowing me to return one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand, and I chose my Poison of the Old Man. Now I play it, gaining 500 life points instantly from Spell Absorption and then 1200 life points from Poison of the Old Man! Jack's Knight, wipe out Illidan's Beta the Magnet Warrior with Royal Slash!" The blue armored knight quickly leaped into action and was about to carve the yellow magnet creature up for scrap metal when Illidan spoke up.

"I don't think so Yami. I activate my trap card Waboku, protecting my monsters for one turn. Nice try though." Three female mages in blue robes then appeared and held out their hands, instantly stopping the blue armored knight. He was forced to return to Yami's side of the field and wait things out.

Yami only frowned, saying "Fine then, I shall end my move." (Yami 2600, Illidan 5500)

Illidan then drew his card. Looking at it, he only sighed due that it was Thunder Nyan Nyan. After a moment, he finally said "I'll set one monster on the field in defense. That ends my move." (Yami 2600, Illidan 5500)

Yami drew and said "I play the magic card known as Card of Sanctity. This allows us both to draw till we hold six cards in our hands." Both drew till they held the right amount of cards. Illidan examined his five new cards. He'd drawn Waboku, Mystical Space Typhoon, Painful Choice, Imperial Order, and Sangan.

Yami then continued, saying "Now then, I activate my Deck Master's special ability. I pay 500 life points in order to bring back my Swords of Revealing Light. Next I play them, revealing your face down monster with it's effect!" Several swords of light then rained out of the sky again and landed in front of Illidan, blocking his way to Yami. Then the face down monster card image disappeared to reveal a blue skinned fiend with golden armor and a large halberd on his back.

Slightly growling, Illidan said "You revealed my Slate Warrior, but in doing that, you've activated his flip effect. He now gains 500 additional attack and defense points (2400/900)."

Yami slightly smiled, saying "Well, that's not what I would have guessed you had down, but it's alright. Also, thanks to my Spell Absorption magic card, I didn't lose a single point since I gained back the 500 I would have lost. Next I'll play the magic card called Five Star Twilight! Since Jack's Knight is a five star monster, I can sacrifice him in order to special summon the Five Kuriboh Brothers (300/200) x 5!" Five fur ball monsters with small green arms and feet, along with purple eyes, then appeared on the field. Each was a different color. There was a brown, white, blue, pink, and yellow fur ball.

Shocked, Illidan said "I've never seen that card before."

Yami only smirked at this and said "Then I guess you don't know much about their special abilities. First of all though, I gain 500 life points due that I played a magic card. Next, I will first show you the effects of my Five Kuriboh Brothers. I'll discard a trap known as Dark Renewal in order to activate their first ability on your Beta the Magnet Warrior. Kuriboh Brothers, become Kuriball!" The white fur ball turned to his friends and slowly began eating each of them. Finally, nothing was left buy a huge white fur ball. It then went flying across the field and plowed into the yellow magnet creature. When they collided, the white creature fell apart and the five fur balls reappeared. Unfortunately though, the yellow magnet creature was seemingly hurt by the run in, instantly losing half it's strength (850/1600).

Surprised by the display and mostly by what was wrong with his monster, he asked "What did you do to Beta?"

Lightly chuckling, Yami replied with "He was weakened by my monster. When I use Kuriball, the monster I choose to be struck by him loses half its strength. I'm not done yet though, for now I combine my Kuriboh Brothers again, but this time to become Kuribabylon (1500/1000)!" The five fur balls then leapt into the air in a star formation and a puff of smoke appeared. Out of the smoke stood a large bluish looking fur ball with a horn and a bit of a fierce face.

"Allow me explain this new form to you Illidan. Kuribabylon's attack and defense point's is a combination of my Five Kuriboh Brother's attack and defense points. So, if I had increased one of the brothers attack points, Kuribabylon would have had more strength as well. Kuribabylon, attack Beta the Magnet Warrior with Horn Strike!" The large fur ball let out a small shriek and rammed it's horn into the weakened yellow magnet creature, instantly crushing it.

"Before I end, I play this magic card, Meteor of Destruction! As long as you have 3000 or more life points, I can play it and it reduces your life points by 1000! Finally, I gain another 500 life points thanks to Spell Absorption." A huge meteor then fell from the sky and struck Illidan, making him slip down to one knee from the hit. Illidan stood back up quickly, but was definitely slightly shaken.

"I'll place two cards face down and end my move." (Yami 3600, Illidan 3850)

Sighing, Illidan's thought "_Great. Now I have to deal with the powder puff of doom. Why me?_"

Finally done sulking, he drew and saw he had Breaker the Magical Warrior. Smiling, he said "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode." A maroon robed mage wielding a sword and shield appeared on the field.

"Now that I summoned Breaker, his special effect is activated. He gains one spell counter when normal summoned, and while he has that counter, he gains 300 additional attack points (1900/1000)." The mage's sword then glowed as a small ring of energy formed near the back of the sword's blade.

"Next I switch my Slate Warrior into attack mode. Then I'll play the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Swords of Revealing Light!" A powerful whirlwind then appeared and tore through the swords of light, instantly destroying them.

Yami slightly chuckled, saying "You still triggered my magic card's effect. I gain 500 additional life points."

Nodding, Illidan only replied with "Yeah, I know that. Next I'll use Breaker's special effect. By removing his spell counter, I can destroy one spell or trap card on your field, and I choose your left face down card." The mage's sword glowed as the small ring of energy coated the blade of his sword. He then swung his sword in the direct of the card image, sending out a blade of energy from his sword. The blade slashed through the face down card, causing it to reveal itself as the magic card Book of Moon.

Yami quickly said "I use Book of Moon's effect to chain. Now I'll use it on your Slate Warrior, switching him to face down defense mode. Also, I gain 500 additional life points due to my Spell Absorption." With that said, the blue fiend was forced to disappear from the field and a horizontal card image took his place.

Growling softly, Illidan then looked at his field. "_I still have Breaker, and that fur ball has to go, no matter what._" "Breaker, attack Kuribabylon with Magical Sword Slash…"

Before Illidan could finish, Yami said "I don't think so Illidan. I activate my face down trap card, Raigeki Break! This trap forces me to discard one card, but it destroys any card on the field. I'll use it on Breaker, so my Kuribabylon is safe. I now discard Sword of Deep-Seated in order to use Raigeki Break!" Lightning flashed on the field and the maroon mage was struck, instantly destroying him.

Smiling, Yami added "By the way, my Sword of Deep-Seated has a special ability. When it's sent to the Graveyard, I can automatically return it to the top of my deck." The card then came back out of the Graveyard slot and Yami placed it on top of his deck.

Illidan only growled in frustration at what had happened, but slowly calmed down. regaining his composure, he said "I'll set two cards face down and end my move." (Yami 4600, Illidan 3850)

Yami drew without looking at the card, saying "Kuribabylon, attack his face down monster with Horn Strike!" The large fur ball zoomed quickly across the field.

The fur ball was about to smash into the card image when Illidan said "I activate my trap card Waboku!" Three mages in blue robes appeared in front of the horizontal face down card, which was then flipped up to reveal the blue fiend monster in golden armor with his large halberd on his back.

Yami slightly growled, saying "Still, I flipped your monster face up. So, your Slate Warrior is flipped face up, with its effect activated now (2400/900). Now, I'll activate my Deck Master's second special ability and return Pot of Greed. Next I play Pot of Greed, drawing two new cards. Now I'll play another Meteor of Destruction, dealing you 1000 life points of damage!" A large meteor then appeared in the sky above Illidan. It came crashing down onto him, making him drop to one knee. As the wisps of smoke cleared off his body, Illidan stood up again.

"Finally, I'll set one card face down on the field and end my turn." (Yami 4600, Illidan 2850)


	79. Chapter 79: Old Rivalry Renewed, Pt 5

**Chapter 79**

Illidan drew and glanced at his Blade Knight. Deciding to stick with defense for the moment, he said "I'll start by setting one monster. Next I switch Slate Warrior into attack mode. Slate Warrior, attack his Kuribabylon with Fiend Slash!" The blue fiend leapt into the air, pulling his halberd from his back with ease. He then slashed the large hair ball with his halberd, making the creature howl in pain as it was destroyed. Yami only slightly grunted at the destruction of his monster, seemingly a bit irritated.

"I'm far from done though Yami. I use my Deck Master's special ability, granting Slate Warrior a second attack. Slate Warrior, direct attack his life points with Fiend Slash!" The fiend leapt into the air again and came down hard onto Yami with his halberd, making Yami slide backwards and grasp his chest.

Yami stood there breathless for a moment before saying "You've triggered my face down trap Illidan. I reveal Rope of Life. By discarding my hand, I can return Kuribabylon to the field and add 800 additional attack points to him (2300/1000)." Slowly, the powerful hair ball monster returned to the field with a bit more power to boot.

Illidan lightly chuckled, saying "Not a problem. I can take him down next turn. I end my move." (Yami 1300, Illidan 2850)

Yami drew, saying "Maybe so Illidan, but the card I sent to the Graveyard was Sword of Deep-Seated, and you know what that means. It was put back on top of my deck, meaning I just redrew it. Now I play Sword of Deep-Seated, equipping it to Kuribabylon, raising his attack and defense points by 500 (2800/1500)." The horn on the fur ball's head then transformed into a purple sword that was jutting from it's head.

"And of course, I gain 500 life points for playing a magic card. Now Kuribabylon, destroy Illidan's Slate Warrior with Horn Sword Strike!" The fur ball let out a small screech and crossed the field.

As it made it to halfway across the field, Illidan yelled "Not so fast Yami! I reveal my trap card, Imperial Order! This trap negates all magic cards on the field, thus lowering your Kuribabylon's attack and defense points by 500 points (2300/1000)!"

Yami lightly growled as he saw his monster lose strength, but smiled, saying "I activate Kuribabylon's special ability! I now separate him into the Five Kuriboh Brothers (300/200) x 5!" Just as the huge hair ball creature was about to clash with the fiend monster, a puff of smoke appeared and the large creature disappeared but five little colored fur balls took it's place.

Lightly irritated, Illidan said "Ah man, you've got to be kidding me!"

Yami only laughed, saying "Sorry Illidan, but my Kuriboh's aren't done yet. Now it's time they took on a new form. Kuriboh Brothers, form Kuribandit (300/200)!" One of the five brothers then started pushing his brothers around, knocking them into the air. The five started bouncing around the field till all five struck one another at once, causing smoke to appear. When it cleared, there stood a new fur ball that was larger than the previous five. This one was brown and had an eye patch on one eye and a bandanna. He looked more like a pirate than anything else.

Lightly laughing, Illidan said "Ok… I'm not sure whether to laugh or be curious to why you'd do that."

Yami only chuckled, saying "You're about to see why. Now I use Kuribandit's special effect. I sacrifice him in order to draw five new cards from my deck, but I must discard all monsters I draw and keep the magic and trap cards."

Picking up five new cards, Yami studied them and smiled. He then took three of the new cards and threw them into his Graveyard slot. "I discard three monsters that I drew. I then set one card and end my move." (Yami 1800, Illidan 2850)

Illidan only became lost in thought over this move. "_Hmm, he's up to something. I'd better be careful. I know one of those five cards was Sword of Deep-Seated due that he destroyed it when he disassembled Kuribabylon. It automatically went to the top of his deck, so as I say, he either set it, or something to that effect. I'm just not sure now what his other card is._"

Shaking his head, Illidan refocused on the duel and drew. Looking at D.D. Warrior Lady, Illidan was about to say something when Yami spoke up.

"I activate a trap Illidan! It's called Dust Tornado, and it works like Mystical Space Typhoon. I'll use it to destroy your Imperial Order!" A dust storm then rose up and slammed into Illidan's face up trap card.

Illidan lightly chuckled, saying "Thanks Yami, cause I was about to not pay the cost."

Yami only groaned at the minor error he had just made.

Smiling, Illidan said "I'll summon Blade Knight (1600/1000) to the field in attack mode." A knight in full body white armor appeared on the field. He carried a white shield and powerful sword. Illidan then looked over at Yami, who appeared to have a look of pure calmness and determination on his face.

"_He's about to lose, yet he looks like he knows he can still win. How can he? Maybe he's not bluffing, but he has nothing on the field to stop my attack. The only possible card he has in his hand is Sword of Deep-Seated._"

"Come on Illidan, attack me if you think you can win!" interrupted Yami into Illidan's thoughts.

Looking at Yami again, he thought "_He's got to be bluffing. He has no cards in play, and only one in his hand. I know for a fact it is Sword of Deep-Seated. Still, why am I hesitating? Is it possible he can save himself?_"

Up in the stands, Seto was silently thinking "_Attack him you fool! It's a no brainer move! Just attack!_"

Elsewhere, Mai said to Marie "It's just like in Duelist Kingdom. He had that streak of confidence, and I believed he had a plan. It was enough to force me to not attack him then. But will Illidan attack him or not now?"

Marie looked over at Mai and said "I don't know. He has to choose one though."

Further up in the stands, Tristan said in a downcast voice "Yugi's finished. He has nothing to stop Illidan."

Tea quickly turned to Tristan, saying "It's not over yet Tristan. Remember, we have to support him till the end."

Joey basically butted in, saying "Guys, it's not over yet, so just chill. Yugi has a plan, and he's going to still win it all. Remember, we need to keep the faith. He'll win this duel, just watch."

Back on the field, Illidan continued to struggle in his mind on what to do. "_If I attack and succeed, I win. But if I fail in the attack, what then? And if I don't attack, he'll have a chance to beat me next turn. I have no choice then. I have to attack!_"

Finally ready, Illidan said "Slate Warrior, direct attack Yami's life points with Fiend Slash!" The fiend let out a battle cry and leaped into the air, preparing to bare down on Yami.

As the fiend was about to slash him, Yami smiled, saying "Not so fast Illidan! I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. I pay 1000 life points in order to bring back Swords of Revealing Light for one turn. This now blocks your attack, and since it is a magic card, I gain 500 life points back thanks to Spell Absorption." With that said, several swords of light rained from the sky in front of the fiend monster, making him instantly stop his attack.

Shocked, Illidan said "How did you do that? I thought you could only bring a card back to your hand, not play it?"

Yami lightly chuckled, and said "You see, the special ability that transferred one magic card from the Graveyard to my hand at a cost of 500 life points has another effect. It's a two part effect. I can choose to pay 500 life points to return a magic card to my hand, or I can pay 1000 life points instead and automatically play the card to the field for one turn. The only problem with that effect is I can't use the same card in the next turn with either effect. So once your turn ends, I can't use Swords of Revealing Light again till your turn again."

Growling at this new information, Illidan's thoughts instantly said "_Not good. Now he can keep this trick up as long as he has to. But the good news is he has to burn up a good bit of life points to do this, and he can only regain 500 at a time for a magic card. Hopefully next turn I can make him use too many and finally have a shot at him._"

"I end my move then." (Yami 1300, Illidan 2850)

Yami drew and said "I summon Giant Rat (1400/1450) in attack mode." A rather large bluish-grey rat with yellow eyes and a skull in it's hand appeared on the field.

"Now I equip Sword of Deep-Seated to my Giant Rat, raising its attack and defense points by 500 (1900/1950)!" A sword then appeared in the skull that the rat was holding onto.

"Also, I gain 500 life points due to my Spell Absorption. Giant Rat, attack his Blade Knight with Skull Slash Strike!" The rat squeaked loudly and quickly used the skull in it's hand to slash the white knight, instantly crushing the knight into millions of pieces.

"Next I'll use my Deck Master's special ability to bring Poison of the Old Man back to my hand at a cost of 500 life points. Then I play Poison of the Old Man and gain back 1700 life points. That shall end my turn." (Yami 3000, Illidan 2350)

Illidan then drew his next card to see it was Monster Reborn. He decided to hold onto it for the time being and picked a different card from his hand. "I'll start this turn by summoning D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in defense mode." A blond headed female warrior in grey and black armor then appeared in a defensive stance.

"Slate Warrior, attack his Giant Rat now with Fiend Slash!" The fiend quickly crossed the field and easily slashed the rat with his halberd, making the rat screech loudly as it exploded.

Yami smirked, saying "You triggered Giant Rat's special ability Illidan. When Giant Rat goes to the Graveyard due to battle, I 'm allowed to special summon one earth attribute monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to the field. And I choose Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200)." An elf in green armor, a brown shirt, a blue cape, and tan pants then appeared. He swung his sword out in front of him, showing he was a threat.

Nodding, Illidan said "Alright then Yami, I now use my Deck Master's special ability, allowing Slate Warrior a second attack. Slate Warrior, attack Obnoxious Celtic Guardian with Fiend Slash!" The fiend leapt into the air and prepared to slash the elf in half with his halberd. As he came down, the elf held out his sword, causing the blades to clash. The elf seemingly held the fiend off, but was pushed backwards to the ground. Slowly, the elf recovered to protect his master.

Surprised at this, Illidan asked "What's going on!"

Yami lightly chuckled, and replied with "That's a simple one Illidan. My Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's special effect is it can't be destroyed by monsters with 1900 or more attack points. So he withstood your attack. Still, I lost the difference in our monster's points, but I didn't lose my monster. Now finish up your turn."

Eying his female warrior, Illidan mentally realized he'd have to use her to take down the weaker elf monster.

"I end my move then." (Yami 1500, Illidan 2350)


	80. Chapter 80: Old Rivalry Renewed, Pt 6

**Chapter 80**

Yami drew and smirked, saying "I play the magic card Horn of the Unicorn, increasing my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's strength by 700 (2100/1900)." A small horn then sprouted from the elf's head, making him look just a bit odd.

"Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack Illidan's Alpha the Magnet Warrior with Silver Blade Slash!" The elf charged the field and struck the magnet creature's shield, instantly shattering it and making the magnet creature explode.

"That shall end my turn." (Yami 2000, Illidan 2350)

Illidan then drew his next card and smiled at it, saying "I sacrifice my face down Sangan in order to summon Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode." The cyborg monster in green and black then appeared on the field and crossed his arms.

"Since I sacrificed Sangan, I get to now draw one monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points and add it to my hand. I'll choose my Spirit Reaper. Back to business, so Jinzo, attack Yami's Obnoxious Celtic Guardian with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg uncrossed his arms and raised one hand. He then had his palm face the elf and released a blast of black energy from it. The elf was hit hard and knocked to the ground, but managed to stand back up.

Yami lightly chuckled, saying "You forgot Illidan that you can't destroy my monster with monsters that have 1900 or more attack points. So your attack was in vain."

Illidan only smirked, knowing Yami didn't see what he had actually just done. "Slate Warrior, attack his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian with Fiend Slash!" The fiend quickly ran across the field and swung his halberd at the elf, who used his sword to block, but was thrown backwards by the strength of the fiend. Still, the elf stood and continued to defend it's master.

Speaking mentally to one another, Yami and Yugi were baffled by Illidan's actions.

"_I don't get it Yami. He knows he can't destroy our monster. Why does he bother to attack?_" asked Yugi.

Yami only gave a puzzled look back to Yugi, replying with "_I don't know Yugi. He gains nothing by attacking our monster really._"

After a moment of silence, Yugi realized then what was up. "_Yami, he's trying to lower our life points! That's why he attacked us two times! He knew our monster couldn't be destroyed, but he knew we had enough life points to use our Deck Master's ability also. So he's trying to lower our life points enough so we can't. That has to be it._"

Yami only nodded in agreement, saying "_We have to take him down, and soon._"

Coming out of their mental meeting place, Yami saw Illidan say "That shall end my turn." (Yami 1400, Illidan 2350)

Yami smirked and said "I see now what you're doing Illidan. You tried to lower my life points so I couldn't use my Deck Master's special ability. Not a bad plan, but I know now what your plan is. So it won't be happening anymore. Now, watch as I draw."

Yami's face showed surprise at the card he had just drawn. Illidan realized then what Yami had possibly drawn. "_He must have drawn Slifer finally. There is only one problem. Slifer requires three sacrifices. That means Yami would have to summon two more monsters, and he only has one card in his hand. That means he'd need a few turns to at the least summon his monster._"

"I'll start by activating my Deck Master's special ability. At a cost of 500 life points, I bring Swords of Revealing Light back to my hand. Now I play Swords of Revealing Light, regaining the 500 I lost due to Spell Absorption. Also, you are now trapped for three turns from attacking me." Several swords of light then rained down from the sky, seemingly lighting up the field from the dreary looking day.

"Next I switch Obnoxious Celtic Guardian to defense mode, and end my move." (Yami 1400, Illidan 2350)

Illidan then drew his next card and smiled at his Harpie's Feather Duster. "_This could end this duel right here and now. It's worth a shot._"

"I play the magic card Harpie's Feather Duster! This magic card destroys all your magic and trap cards on the field! So say good bye to your Swords of Revealing Light, Horn of the Unicorn, and Spell Absorption!" A heavy set of tornado's then ripped through each of the magic cards on the field, easily destroying everything Yami had worked for.

Yami sighed, but said "By the way Illidan, I still gain 500 life points due to Spell Absorption, so it wasn't a total waste. Also, Horn of the Unicorn is returned to the top of my deck, so no worries."

Illidan only grinned, saying "Well, not yet anyways, but about that in a moment. First I next switch my D.D. Warrior Lady into attack mode." The female warrior stood up and drew her sword from it's sheath as she prepared for battle.

"D.D. Warrior Lady, attack Obnoxious Celtic Guardian with Dimension Blade Slash!" The female warrior ran across the field and prepared to slash the weaker elf with her sword.

In mid swing, Yami yelled "I activate my Deck Master's special ability! Now I pay 1000 life points in order to bring back Swords of Revealing Light for one turn. So my monster is protected for this turn." The swords of light rained down from the sky again, instantly stopping the attack before it could hit.

Lightly growling with frustration, Illidan replied "Alright Yami, I end my move." (Yami 900, Illidan 2350)

Yami drew his next card and didn't bother to examine it. He said "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. I return Card of Sanctity to my hand at a cost of 500 life points. Next I play Card of Sanctity, allowing us both to draw till we hold six cards in our hands." Illidan drew his three new cards and examined his Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, Mage Power, and Snatch Steal.

Yami only smirked at his cards, saying "I now send my Valkyrion the Magna Warrior to the Graveyard. By doing so, I can special summon all three of my Magnet Warriors. So return Alpha (1400/1700), Beta (1700/1600), and Gamma (1500/1800) the Magnet Warriors!" The grey, yellow, and pink magnet creatures then reappeared onto Yami's side of the field with a soft mechanical moan each.

Shocked at this move, Illidan asked "How did they get to the Graveyard?"

Yami lightly chuckled and replied with "Remember when I used Kuribandit's effect earlier? They were the three monsters I drew from those five cards. And now I can use them to full advantage. I sacrifice Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors to summon my ultimate monster, the Egyptian God known as Slifer the Sky Dragon (4000/4000)!" The three magnet creatures disappeared in a flash of light, and the storm outside became much fiercer than before. The lightning flashed wildly and thunder boomed stronger than ever. Then the powerful red dragon's body appeared in the clouds. Slowly, the dragon's head descended from the clouds as well. Once it looked down at the field, it let out a loud roar. It began to wrap it's body around the tower, making the tower itself shake.

All Illidan could do was gasp at this move. "_Now I'm in real trouble. With Slifer here, I'm going to really need to play it smart in order to win this duel._"

Yami slightly smirked and said "Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack Illidan's Jinzo with Thunder Force!" The dragon opened it's huge jaws and let a powerful stream of energy fly from it as the blast struck the cyborg monster. The monster moaned in pain as it exploded. The explosion sent a huge shear wind back, making Illidan slightly slide back. Staring at the large monster with wide eyes, Illidan fell to one knee.

"That ends my move. Beware the power of my God Card, Illidan! It will destroy you soon enough." (Yami 900, Illidan 1750)

Slowly standing back up, Illidan regained control of his fear of the card, saying in a calm voice "I wouldn't count on it yet Yami. Watch this move."

Illidan drew his next card and smiled at it. "_Perfect! This is what I've been waiting for! Now I'll be able to take Yami down, for sure._"

"I'll start things off by sending Valkyrion the Magna Warrior to the Graveyard. This allows me to bring back Alpha (1400/1700), Beta (1700/1600), and Gamma (1500/1800) the Magnet Warriors in defense mode each." The three magnet creatures then appeared on Illidan's field, causing the large red dragon to only roar at this.

Yami lightly chuckled, saying "You triggered Slifer's special effect. Now Slifer will attack each of your monsters with a blast that will reduce each of their defense points by 2000. Since none of them have over 2000 defense points, they'll all be destroyed instead. Now Slifer, attack with your second mouth!" The large dragon slowly opened it's second set of jaws as a mist came from them. It then spat three blasts at the field. Each of their blasts struck their targets, which were all three magnet creatures.

Illidan only shrugged, saying "Really, I didn't need those three monsters. I just needed Valkyrion in the Graveyard so I could play Monster Reborn, resurrecting my Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3800) in attack mode!" A large creature that was composed of the three magnet creatures that had just been destroyed appeared on the field with is large sword.

Chuckling again, Yami yelled "You triggered Slifer's special effect again! Slifer, drain 2000 attack points from Valkyrion!" The dragon again opened it's second set of jaws and spat a blast of pure energy straight at the large magnet creature. It was struck hard and it's seemingly damaged. A huge explosion was formed from the blast, and when the smoke cleared, it was obvious the damage had been done. The warrior was missing one wing, his sword broken, and multiple scratches and scars appeared on it's body.

"Valkyrion is now weaker Illidan (1500/3800). I don't know what you're planning, but this strategy so far isn't working."

Illidan only smirked, thinking "_We'll see how it goes in a second._"

"Time to complete my strategy right now! I now sacrifice my Slate Warrior and D.D. Warrior Lady for Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode!" A mage in tight fitting black armor with blue skin and a powerful staff then appeared on the field. He glared at Yami with his mysterious eyes, making Yami slightly shiver at the sight.

Yami quickly let that feeling go and said "You've triggered Slifer's second mouth yet again Illidan! Slifer, blast his Dark Magician of Chaos now!" The dragon spat yet another blast from it's second set of jaws, which easily struck the mage. The mage screamed in agony as he was weakened. After the blast was over, the mage was still standing, but was panting hard. He had multiple cuts and bruises on his body, but was not yet ready to call it quits.

"My Dark Magician of Chaos (800/2600) maybe weakened, but he's not finished yet. Now his special ability is activated due to his summoning. I now get to return one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand, and I choose my United We Stand magic card. Next I invoke my Deck Master's second special ability. At a cost of 1000 life points, I can return a Chaos monster to the field from the Graveyard or removed from game pile. The monster I choose is my Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" The powerful black dragon with orange hair then reappeared on the field, spreading it's massive wings as it let out a terrifying roar.

Yami only chuckled, saying "You've once again triggered Slifer's second mouth. Slifer, blast his monster now!" The red dragon roared and spat a blast of energy at the smaller black dragon. The black dragon was hit easily, causing a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, the dragon was still standing, but barely. It's wings now had many holes in them, many cuts were on it's body as well.

"My dragon shall be just fine (1000/2500) for now. Now it's time for me to finish this duel. I now play the magic card United We Stand, and I equip it to my Dark Magician of Chaos! This raises his stats by 800 points per a face up monster on my side of the field, and I currently have three, so that means he gains 2400 in his stats (3200/6000)!" The mage glowed with a multicolored light. He closed his eyes as his strength returned to him and then some. He then reopened them, showing pure determination on his face to win the battle.

"But I'm not done yet! Next I play the magic card known as Mage Power, and I equip it to Dark Magician of Chaos as well. This card raises his stats by 500 points per a magic/trap card on my side of the field. Since I currently have 2 on the field, he gains 1000 additional points (4200/7000). But I'm not done yet. I now place 2 more cards face down, adding another 1000 points to Dark Magician of Chaos's stats (5200/8000)!" The mage glowed again with another multicolored light as his power nearly doubled. He then swung his staff in front of himself, showing his readiness to engage in battle.

Yami lowered his head at this, hiding his eyes in the shadow of his hair. He knew his dragon was beaten. Yami slowly lifted his head back up and smiled sadly at Illidan, saying "I'm beaten. Finish it Illidan."

Nodding, Illidan said "It was an honor to duel you Yami. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Slifer the Sky Dragon with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The mage pointed his staff at the mighty red dragon and let loose a powerful blast of dark energy. The energy struck the dragon hard, making it roar loudly. The dragon's head and body began plummeting from the sky to the field, and struck the field hard, making the tower itself shake front the extremely hard crash. The dragon then exploded, showing it's demise.

"Chaos Emperor Dragon, finish this duel with Chaos Blaster!" commanded Illidan.

The weakened dragon followed it's master's orders and let loose a weakened blast at Yami, who wasn't even really harmed by the blast. The blast caused Yami's Duel Disk to power down, signifying he had lost all his life points. His purple mage seemingly smiled at the black armor clad mage and nodded before disappearing.

The judge then made the announcement "The winner of the duel and still Intercontinental and World Champion, Illidan Stormrage!"

Illidan slowly walked over to Yami and extended a hand to his friend. "Good duel Yami. It is one I'll always remember."

Yami only smiled back at his friend, saying "Yes, it was an excellent duel. Congratulations Illidan. You deserved that win."

Both shook hands and the crowd stormed the field as usual, but up in his throne, Gozaburo only was squeezing the stone profusely hard. The anger within him was swelling greatly.

Within his mind, he screamed "_HOW COULD THE PHARAOH LOSE THE DUEL? THAT FOOL! NOW ILLIDAN IS ONE STEP CLOSER! But no matter, for in the end, I will be his undoing, muwhahaha!_"


	81. Chapter 81: Union of the Lonely

**Hello once more everyone. Glad everyone liked the remainder of the duel with Yami. I made it one of the most intense duels of the story, mostly due that it was a true test to see if Illidan did stand a chance or not. Obviously, he stands a chance, but does that guarantee he'll face Gozaburo, we'll see. After all, there is another day of dueling left, plus that night. So, you never know. Now, time to get to the reviews for the day.**

**thehyperactivecow: He may not make it all the way. You never know, and I'm sure there are many surprises left that could take him out of contention.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Actually, you can discard Valkyrion to summon the three Magnet Warriors. I did research on that one, but as for the move where Illidan brought back Valkyrion with Monster Reborn, I forgot he couldn't do that. You have to summon Valkyrion in order to be allowed to special summon it back with Monster Reborn. Oh well, I only stretched it slightly, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: It was easy. I said he lost, lol. Ouch, that sounds painful. Btw, my fiancé said thanks for reviewing her story. She's glad you liked the chapter, and there will be a Marie chapter next, hehe. Also, I was curious if you could guess who the sandy blonde haired nomad was. She wrote that in to explain that character's future.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks. I tried hard to make that duel one of the best in the story. Only one other probably tops it, maybe two. Or more, lol, not sure. But yeah, I wasn't offended at the least. It was humorous to me, so I didn't mind one bit.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Thanks for the comments. More than likely, Gozaburo will try to get rid of Illidan, but who knows what that nut job will throw at him. Well, I know, hehe, but I won't tell. Zips lips.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol! So, he didn't become a Gary Stu. HURRAY! Lol, thanks for the comments. Smacks Ryou in head with baseball bat. Happy now? Now you're ugly, so shut up!**

**Brianna Ishtar: Ok… Poor Ryou. He's just too sweet and innocent for his own good.**

**Well, that's all I have for today. Btw, I posted the third chapter of my fiancé's story on her site. If you're interested in the past lives of Illidan and Marie, or are just looking for another good fic, I'd suggest it. You don't have to know a thing about _Tournament of Power_ to enjoy it. Even this story you don't have to know about the past, but it's mixed in. At any rate, I'd suggest reading it. You'll find things out about Illidan and Marie that I didn't mention in this story, or my next.**

**Anyways, that's all I have for today, so till tomorrow. Btw, I'm posting two chapters today due to missing yesterday. So, enjoy.**

**Chapter 81**

When the day of dueling was done, the stats were once again updated. Illidan had won his hard fought duel against Yugi. Bakura and Marie squared off with Marie coming out with a win. Seto faced off in an angry duel with Keith. Slowly, after a great deal of torturing Keith, Seto won. Marik faced Joey, and against all odds, Joey won the duel. The win shocked the entire crowd, not to mention Marik himself. The final duel saw Mai taking on Noa. Mai had the duel nearly won, but Noa won the duel in the last second.

The stats slightly changed. Illidan remained 1st, followed by Yugi in 2nd, then Marie in 3rd, a new 4th place runner was Joey, Marik slipped to 5th, Seto remained 6th, as well as Noa in 7th, same for Bakura in 8th, as well as Mai in 9th, and finally Keith rounding out at 10th.

Once the duels were over, everyone went to their rooms. An announcement followed soon made by the judge. "Duelists, tonight there will be a Tag Team Gauntlet. It will consist of all teams in action. Illidan and Marie will begin the duel with another team. Once a team is defeated, a new team is moved in. The team left standing will be the new Tag Team Champions. This duel will begin at 7:00 P.M. sharp. That is all."

With that announcement, some of the teams got together in each others rooms to discuss strategy for the duel.

Meanwhile, silently, Shadi came out from his hiding place. He slowly walked down the hallway towards Ishizu's room. As he slowly walked towards her room, his mind was in complete confusion. He'd wanted this for so long, yet he was scared. He had just wanted to have a chance to live his life out with a woman that he loved. Over the years, Shadi had remained alone while fulfilling his duties. He had many chances to take up a wife, or at least a companion, but he chose to remain alone.

In the beginning, he only had contact with the Tomb Keepers of the Pharaoh's remains. The original Tomb Keepers had been Illidan and Marie's own son, Kai Stormrage. Him and his then married wife guarded the tomb of the pharaoh for years, till finally they passed away. Of course, they had had children during their many years, and their children eventually took over guarding the tomb. This continued for many years. The tradition lasted for five millennia. Eventually over time, the name Stormrage faded away due that one group only had a daughter. She married a man with the last name Ishtar, which replaced the family name Stormrage for all times. Shadi had only laughed at the time that the name Stormrage had finally faded from the Tomb Keepers, but was sad due that the name had reminded him so much of his friends.

For centuries, he had watched the Tomb Keepers help protect the Pharaoh's remains. Still, Shadi knew that he probably shouldn't watch over them, but he did it in order to keep from being too lonely. From time to time, he would drop in on the Tomb Keeper's to just visit and see their children, and in general to just associate with someone.

Things slowly changed though over the years. The newest children of the Tomb Keepers he had great interest in, especially their daughter. Her name was Ishizu Ishtar, who was amazingly a descendant of Illidan and Marie. To him, it was amazing how much the family still bore some resemblance to Illidan and Marie. She was a beautiful girl who slowly grew into a much more beautiful young woman.

Her brother, Marik Ishtar, had become initiated at an early age as the next Tomb Keeper. He grew to hate this fact that he was destined to guard the tomb of the pharaoh rather than get to live a normal life. His step brother, Odion, pledged his loyalty to Marik, promising to protect him forever.

From the first day Shadi had met Marik, he knew the boy didn't want the duty of guarding the pharaoh, but there was no one else to do it. So, he sadly turned a blind eye to Marik's resentment. When Marik had received the Tomb Keeper's initiation, something happened though. Shadi had felt a great evil born on that day. He wasn't sure how, but it was. Marik soon after changed. He now showed his resentment more and more towards his father for being forced to become a Tomb Keeper.

In his heart, Shadi felt sorry for him, knowing Marik would be forced to live a lonely life like he had. Then a fateful day came that Marik and Ishizu snuck out of the tomb. They went to a nearby village, visiting, seeing the sights basically. He had tailed them and watched over them, making sure they weren't harmed while out on their run. While following them, he saw how Marik loved the outside world, but knew Marik had a duty. Afraid that Marik would abandon his duty, he warned both, hating to have to tell both that they had a duty to fulfill, but knew it had to be done.

After he had warned them, he used his Millennium Key to disappear. Marik and Ishizu soon returned to the tomb, only to find out their father had found out they had snuck out due to a trap. They found a beaten and bloody Odion in the main room of the tomb. Marik begged for his father to not harm Odion, but his father had made up his mind. He banished Odion from the tomb.

This was too much for Marik to handle. The evil within him bubbled to the surface and took control. The evil within Marik then used the Millennium Rod on his father, pinning him to the wall. He did the same to Ishizu, which made Shadi almost step in, but realized he should wait and see what Marik was going to do.

Marik, or more like the evil within Marik, then sent his father to the Shadow Realm. Laughing at what he'd just done, he then turned to Odion, saying he was next. Shadi was ready to step in, but suddenly Odion got through to Marik, forcing the evil within him to hide once again. He dropped the Millennium Rod and cried out in pain, not even knowing what he'd done. Tears streamed down Marik's face when he saw his father slumped over.

Shadi appeared to the three then, telling Marik to stop going down the path of evil. Odion protected Marik, consoling him from then on. Odion managed to keep the evil within Marik locked away for nearly ten years. The evil would slightly rise to the surface at times, but never take control like before.

Shadi had continued to watch over Marik and Odion, but especially Ishizu. The day Marik left, she took possession of the Millennium Necklace. She then swore to uphold the honor of the Tomb Keepers till her own death. Shadi then came and comforted her during her times of sadness. The two spent a great deal of time together. He would try and help her through her sad times, and would stay as long as it took. Also, the comforting helped him, for the loneliness in his heart seemed to disappear the longer he stayed with her. Still, he was afraid to act on what he felt for her, knowing he would end up broken hearted when she would eventually die while he lived on.

After a few more years, Pegasus asked Shadi for help. He needed to hide the three Egyptian God Cards, and Shadi decided he'd have Ishizu help with it. Unfortunately, Marik caught wind that the God Cards were now available, so he began taking them one by one. He claimed two, Slifer the Sky Dragon and The Winged Dragon of Ra for his own easily.

When he made an attempt to reclaim the last one, Ishizu stepped in and hid it from him. Furious at this, Marik threatened to take it form her. Afraid for Ishizu, Shadi sent her to Japan in order to protect her. There she convinced Seto Kaiba, Set's reincarnation, to throw the Battle City Tournament and even gave him the third Egyptian God Card.

After the tournament was over and done with, Shadi wanted to talk to Ishizu, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Her life had been slowly brought back around to full circle since her brother no longer was under the control of the evil being. Her brother and step brother were together again, enjoying one another's company, but Shadi hadn't gotten the chance to tell Ishizu what he really wanted to. Still afraid of what would happen, he decided to remain a wanderer. So, he continued on, thinking it was foolishness to fall in love with a mortal. After all, he was immortal, and would never get to share a life with her forever. He would outlive her easily.

About one month or so after Battle City, he was contacted by Ishizu. He was extremely happy to see her again, as was she to see him. She then told him of her visions and asked him to find Illidan. She wanted him to make sure that this was the truly reborn Illidan Stormrage of the past. Shadi was ecstatic that his old friend had possibly been reborn.

He did as asked and filled Illidan in on what was going on after making sure that it was truly his friend. He then told Ishizu that it was done. She then told him that she was going with Marik and Odion to Gozaburo's tournament. He warned her not to, not only due that he worried about her going, but due that she had the Millennium Necklace still, making her a target for Gozaburo possibly.

She had then informed her that she was to give the item to Marie O'Dell, whom he learned was truly Marie of the ancient past. Now he knew Ishizu would be in danger due that she would no longer have her item to protect herself. Carefully, he hid himself on the barge and went with everyone to the island. He hid himself well once they arrived, making sure to keep out of sight.

The only problem he encountered was, without the Millennium Key to continue holding his immortality stable, he was aging and fast. He hadn't felt the effects at first till a few days later. He quickly realized that if he didn't find a way to reverse the aging, he'd die before the end of the tournament. With this realization, he showed himself to Illidan and explained what was happening.

Illidan, being the caring friend he was, helped him link his mortality to his Millennium Scales. Shadi was now given the one thing he wanted always, which was a chance to be with Ishizu and to spend their lives together. One thing worried him though. Would she accept his love? Did she even have feelings for him? He pondered these things all the time since he had met her, but ever since he regained his mortality, these were questions on his mind constantly.

At last, he arrived to his destination and sighed. He was trembling with fear at the mere fact of asking a simple question. "_I've never been this afraid of anything, not even Gozaburo in ancient times. Why am I so afraid of this? Is it due that I'm afraid she might reject me?_"

Suddenly, before he could knock or ring the buzzer, the door opened. There stood Marik, who was apparently leaving.

Shadi snapped out of his thoughts and realized Marik was standing there staring at him. He quickly stammered out "Oh, so sorry."

Marik only looked at Shadi, and finally asked "You're Shadi, right?"

Shadi only nodded, and Marik slightly smiled, saying "I remember you now. You was that stranger I remember from when I was a child. I'm sorry we never really got to talk back then. I'm Marik, but of course, you know. I'm guessing you're here to see Ishizu though. She's still in there. Go on in."

Shadi only could nod and walked into the room slowly. As the door closed, Marik only smiled, thinking "_So, that's Shadi. Hmm, I think Ishizu will be real happy to see him again. She only has talked about him forever. I think she's in love with him, and by the way he looked, he is too._" Smiling inwardly again, Marik only walked on towards his own room.

In Ishizu's room, Shadi slowly looked for her. He didn't see her in the main area, so he walked into the kitchen. Again, no signs of Ishizu. He walked into the bedroom and saw her clothes on the bed and noticed the bathroom door was shut. He also heard a shower running.

Sighing, he turned to leave, thinking "_She's in the shower. I should leave before she sees me._"

He was turned around to leave when suddenly the door opened. There stood a girl with damp black hair, water dripping off her tan skin, and blue eyes, with a towel wrapped around her beautiful hourglass figure.

Ishizu gave off a slight scream as Shadi covered his eyes. She yelled "SHADI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!"

His face was a deep shade of crimson, as he slowly said while looking away "I'm so sorry Ishizu. I came to see you, but I was about to leave when I saw you was in the shower."

Ishizu's face was bright red as well, as she stared at the floor. Her mind was racing, as was her heart. She quickly grabbed the clothes she had setting on the bed up in her arms and ran towards the bathroom. Before going in, she said "I'll be right back once I get dressed."

When the door shut, Shadi let out a sigh of relief, but the blush on his face just wouldn't disappear. His cheeks burned, and his heart pounded within his chest. "_I wonder if Marik knew she was going to take a shower when he left and just let me wonder in. If he did, he'll pay for that…_"

His thoughts were interrupted though as the door opened back up. Ishizu stepped back out in a white dress with gold trim on it. Shadi glanced up to see her, and was mesmerized by her beauty. Her long damp black raven hair hung free, with her beautiful bluish-green eyes looking at him. The dress she wore clung to her curves due that her skin was slightly damp, which just made him give off a small gasp. The view completely took his breath away. He just stood there staring at her, speechless as the blush he fought furiously to dismiss returned.

With a blush on her own face from his evaluation of her body, she finally asked "Shadi?"

He finally snapped out of his stare by voice, the voice of an angel to him. Again, he fell back into his stupor, to only be woken up again from her asking "Well?"

He turned his head away, afraid to look at her again, knowing he would only go back into his stupor if he did. Curious to why Shadi wouldn't look at her, Ishizu gently said "Shadi, what is it? I've never seen you so flustered."

He could only look down now, afraid to look at her. At last, he finally regained some of his composure and looked up at her, but nearly lost it again. Sighing, he thought "_Better now than never I guess._"

Slowly, and with much blush on his face, he said "Ishizu, I've been curious about something. Have you ever felt so alone in the world, like you've been waiting for someone for a very long time?"

Ishizu nodded, knowing what he meant. Blush slightly appeared on her face, making her avert her eyes. While staring at the ground, she thought of all the times Shadi had been there for her with the loss of her two brothers. "_I felt so alone till Shadi entered my life. If not for him, I'd have been alone and possibly forever sad after Marik and Odion left me to fulfill Marik's plans._"

She slowly looked up at him with a little courage and a lot of blushing. She then noticed for the first time that his eyes had coloring in them. Since she had known him, he had always had grey eyes. Now they were different. Instead of grey, they were hazel colored. It was a beautiful color to Ishizu, one that made her feel closer to him for some reason, which made her blush even more.

After a moment, she slowly said "Shadi, what happened to your eyes?"

Shadi only smiled at this. "_So, she noticed them. I guess I might as well tell her what I'm truly feeling. Now I just need to keep up my courage._"

He then explained to her why his eyes were different. He told her the entire story of how Illidan had helped him regain his mortality. After an hour of listening, Shadi finally figured it was time he asked her something.

As he was about to begin, he started blushing madly, but finally said "I'm not sure how you feel about me Ishizu, but I have to be honest on how I feel about you."

Taking a deep breath, he summoned all his courage up while trying to hide the blush on his face.

At the same moment, Ishizu's heart skipped a beat when he had said he wanted to tell her his feelings. She realized during his story that she may actually have a chance at last to be with Shadi. In a way, she didn't care if he had been immortal or not, for her heart felt as if it was leading her to him either way.

With a deep blush on both of their faces, each blurted out "I love you."

Both realized they felt the same thing, and laughed at the fact that they said it simultaneously.

Staring into her blue eyes, Shadi blushed deeply but decided to be bold and took her hand in his, saying "Ishizu, I think I've loved you since I first met you, but I was too terrified to admit it to you due that I was immortal, and I didn't want to lose you one day. But now, that I can share a life with you, I want to. Will you share yours with me?"

Ishizu let out tears of happiness and nodded. She threw her arms around him, embracing him in a loving hug. He soon placed his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tighter embrace. The two's faces then inched towards one another till their lips touched, and the two kissed one another slowly. Finally, they parted and smiled at one another, both still blushing heavily.

The two then began talking about what different things, but both thanked the gods that Illidan had made this all possible by returning Shadi's mortality.


	82. Chapter 82: Tag Team Gauntlet, Pt 1

**Chapter 82**

At about 6:45, all the duelists headed to the top of the tower. Once there, they all noticed Gozaburo was sitting in the spot where his throne would come up through the floor.

The judge noticed everyone was finally at the top, and said "Alright duelists, I will now discuss how this duel will take place. First, the first team to be in this duel will be Illidan Stormrage and Marie O'Dell."

Silently, Illidan thought "_That's not to surprising, seeing how me and Marie are champions._"

"They will both start with 4000 life points each. The other team that will start will be Bandit Keith and Bakura Ryou."

"WHY ARE THEY ALLOWED TO DUEL THEM SO EARLY!" yelled Seto in great irritation.

Sighing, the judge replied with "This is due to the order everyone dueled. See, Bandit Keith and Bakura Ryou dueled last for the titles. Once a team is eliminated, you and Noa Kaiba will duel the remaining team. Next will be Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine, followed finally by Yugi Moto and Marik Ishtar. Do you understand now Mr. Kaiba?"

Seto only snorted and walked off to a corner of the tower and leaned up against it. He seemingly looked like he was pouting to everyone, but no one dared to ask.

Shaking his head, the judge continued saying "Now, allow me to explain all the rules. First, the champions will get 4000 life points to start with. All challengers will start with 4000 life points each as well. When both team members' life points drop to 0, a new team will be moved in to continue the duel. There is an incentive by the way to win each round. When you win the round against a team, you not only continue your chances to win the Tag Team Titles, but you gain an additional 1000 life points. That means one of your team mate loses during a round, they are brought back in with 1000 life points. Also, there are rules about new teams coming in. When a team is eliminated, the new team cannot be attacked the same turn. The turn count is reset to the original duelist who began the round before. Also, when this happens, no one can attack till each duelist has had one turn. As well, you can defend your partner with your own monsters, but only when they have no monsters on the field obviously. Those are all the rules. Does everyone understand?"

All the duelists nodded that they did. The judge nodded back and said "Then we shall begin. The first round will have Illidan and Marie, the current champions, facing off with Bakura and Keith. Will all four step forward now?"

Slowly, Illidan and Marie, hand in hand, moved to the middle of the dueling field. Keith and Bakura moved to the middle as well. Seeing that all four were there, the judge said "Shuffle your decks now and then shake hands. Then head to your positions."

The four quickly shuffled their decks and then placed them back in their Duel Disks. Illidan and Marie extended their hands to each of their opponents.

Keith accepted Illidan's and said "Good luck dweebs, you'll need it." He then snickered at his comment and left for his position. Bakura shook Marie's hand and wished her luck and then took his place beside Keith. Illidan and Marie then made their way to their positions as well and turned to face their opponents.

Seeing everyone was ready, the judge said "Illidan shall go first, followed by Keith, followed by Marie, followed by Bakura. That is the turn settings."

Up in the stands, Tristan, Tea, Duke, Ishizu, Shadi, who had decided to join them the evening, Mokuba, Serenity, and Odion looked on.

From his throne, Gozaburo only smirked at the field. "_They'll never pull this one off, I can almost guarantee it._" he thought smartly.

Back on the field, the judge raised his hand and said "Duelists, fire your holo projectors and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards and begin!"

All four quickly fired their projectors out onto the field. Once the projectors landed and powered up, their Duel Disks unfolded and powered up.

With a smile, Illidan said "Come on out Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The large black armor clad warrior then appeared beside him.

Keith yelled "Let's do this Machine King (2200/2000)!" The large blue and red machine monster let out a groan as it appeared beside Keith.

Smiling, Marie called out "I call you forth Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000)!" The pink skinned angel with a white dress and golden wings then appeared beside her master.

Sighing, Bakura slowly smiled, saying "I call on you Dark Necrofear (2200/2800)!" The purple skinned fiend quickly appeared beside it's master.

The four then drew their cards and called out "Let's duel!"

Illidan drew his next card and glanced at his hand. He had in it Gamma the Magnet Warrior, Blade Knight, Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and Mirror Force in his hand. His newest card was his Valkyrion the Magna Warrior.

Smirking at his hand, he decided to hold off on summoning Valkyrion. "I'll start by summoning my Blade Knight (1600/1000) in attack mode." A knight in full body white armor appeared on the field, shield and sword ready to do battle.

"Next I'll set one card face down. That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Keith 4000, Marie 4000, Bakura 4000)

Keith drew and snickered at his first draw. He then smirked and said "I summon Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast (1400/1000) in attack mode." A metallic dragon with tank tracks then appeared on the field and let out a mighty roar at the white knight, which seemed to only laugh.

Illidan lightly chuckled, saying "Your dragon is weak Keith. Besides, you can't summon a level seven monster like that."

Keith only continued to smirk and said "That's where you're wrong Illidan! Fusilier Dragon's special effect allows me to summon it like a level four at a cost of half its points. So, I was able to easily summon this dragon. Next, my dragon gets a power boost thanks to my Deck Master (1600/1200)." The red and blue machine monster's eyes glowed and a blast was fired from them into the back of the dragon, who roared as his power increased.

"I'm not done yet! Now I play the magic card called Metamorphosis. This card allows me to sacrifice my Fusilier Dragon in order to summon a fusion monster of the same level. So now meet my Labyrinth Tank (2400/2400) in attack mode!" The dragon began glowing brightly at that. Slowly, the glow changed shape and a rather large blue tank appeared in the dragon's place. It wielded huge drills and appeared rather dangerous.

"You fools will lose this duel! Next my Deck Master gives him a power blast to increase its power (2600/2600)." Once again, the blue and red machine monster powered up and fired a laser from it's eyes at the tank. The tank glowed slightly as its power increased.

"Next I set one card face down and end my move. Make you move chumpet!" (Illidan 4000, Keith 4000, Marie 4000, Bakura 4000)

Marie only glared daggers at Keith, but drew her next card and said "I'll summon my Winged Kuriboh (300/200) in defense mode." A brown fur ball with green arms and feet with small white wings on it's back appeared on the field. Everyone gave off a huge laugh at the sight of this monster.

"I don't know whether to be more frightened by the fact that card exists or that you'd play it!" declared Keith.

Marie did let a little smile escape her, but she then continued. "Next I'll set three cards face down. That shall do for now." (Illidan 4000, Keith 4000, Marie 4000, Bakura 4000)

Bakura drew and said "Alright chaps, my move. I summon Archfiend Soldier (1900/1500) in attack mode." A purple like fiend monster appeared on the field. It appeared to have a cape to cover its powerful body and had large horns on it's head.

"I now set two cards face down to end my move." (Illidan 4000, Keith 4000, Marie 4000, Bakura 4000)

Illidan drew and looked at his Jinzo card. Smiling, he said "I sacrifice my Blade Knight in order to summon Jinzo (2400/1500)!" The powerful cyborg in green and black appeared on the field, just crossing his arms in usual fashion.

Keith snickered, saying "That tin can can't even compare to my Labyrinth Tank, Illidan. It's only a matter of time before it's crushed!"

Illidan lightly laughed, and replied with "Funny Keith, because I'm about to compact your tank right now! I send from my hand Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior in order to special summon my powerful Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850)!" The three separate magnet creatures then appeared on the field. Slowly, they broke apart into pieces, and then reformed into one larger creature with a large sword.

Keith's jaw dropped and yelled "NOOOO!"

Lightly chuckling, Illidan mockingly said "But yes Keith. Valkyrion, attack Keith's scrap heap of a Labyrinth Tank with Magna Slash!" The powerful monster leapt across the field and slashed the tank, causing it to spark and sputter till it exploded in a horrendous explosion.

"And now, I activate my Deck Master's special ability. Since Valkyrion succeeded in its attack, it can attack again. Valkyrion, attack Keith directly now with Magna Slash!" The warrior quickly charged Keith, who could only scream as the monster struck him hard with it's sword. Keith's life point counter quickly drained to zero, causing his Duel Disk to power down. Keith, with anger flashing in his eyes, slowly got up and stormed off the field.

Illidan then turned to Bakura, saying "Sorry Bakura, but it's your turn now. Jinzo, attack Bakura's Archfiend Soldier now with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg raised one hand till it's palm faced the fiend monster. It then released a blast of black energy from it's palm which struck the fiend monster, causing it to shriek in pain till it was destroyed.

"I'll end my move now." (Illidan 4000, Keith 0, Marie 4000, Bakura 3500)

Marie drew her next card and in a serious tone, said "Since Keith is now out of the way, time for me to get down to business. I summon The Agent of Creation – Venus (1600/0) in attack mode." A lovely angel with golden wings and golden skin appeared on the field. Surrounding her in front were three spheres, which consisted of a red one, a purple one, and a blue one.

"Next I play the field card known as Luminous Spark!" A ball of light then flew up into the air, blinding the field momentarily. When the glow died, they saw a huge blinding sphere of light in the middle of the field, making it nearly unbearable to look at.

"Allow me to explain this card. This card gives all light attribute monsters an additional 500 attack points, but drains them of 400 defense points. That means my Winged Kuriboh and The Agent of Creation – Venus now gain 500 more attack points, but lose 400 defense (800/0) (2100/0)." The winged fur ball and the angel both began glowing with power. It seemed to be coming directly from the sphere of light in the sky above them.

"Next I activate Venus's special effect. At a cost of 500 life points, I can now special summon a monster known as Mystical Shine Ball to the field. So, I pay 1000 life points in order to special summon two Mystical Shine Ball's (500/500) to the field in attack mode. And don't forget, they each get 500 additional attack, but lose 400 defense (1000/100)." Just as the name suggested, two small spheres of light appeared on the field. Both seemed to just shine with power.

"Now I'll switch my Winged Kuriboh to attack position. Time to finish this round. Winged Kuriboh, direct attack with Flying Tackle!" The little winged fur ball flew fast and furiously across the field, smacking Bakura with a head butt, making Bakura slide back slightly.

"Venus, attack with Tri-Sphere Beam!" The three spheres formed a triangle and began glowing. Then a beam formed out of each, and the three combined into one as it neared it's target. The beam collided hard with Bakura, making him slide back even farther from the attack. The attack even went so far as to make him drop to his one knee.

After a moment of panting, Bakura struggled to stand back up. He had a look of pure determination still on his face, saying he wasn't done yet.


	83. Chapter 83: Tag Team Gauntlet, Pt 2

**Hey once more. Glad everyone liked the little love story with Shadi and Ishizu. I came up with the idea while watching Battle City, like when the two were alone in one episode. Not to mention, the two had been together before, so I thought, why not make that into a couple. But at any rate, let's get to the reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks for the comment. Yeah, Gozaburo is pushing hard to try and take Illidan out. Obviously, with only another regular day of dueling, plus the ten way duel, he has to try anything and everything. I promise I'll check your story out soon. I just started working on my computer this weekend, so I kind of didn't get a chance. Not to mention, I'm still working on fixing it up. Curses Microsoft for requiring a valid product key in order to run updates. Sighs Oh well, I guess I'll have to just get one, or live without updates.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Lol, yeah, I made it a cute scene just to make people feel all mushy. Indeed Kaiba has issues, but that's just him, lol. Keith is just always in the way all the time, lol.**

**thehyperactivecow: Nah, he didn't lose the duel. Keith did, but not Bakura.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, he sure could put up a fight. Never know about those British, hehe. Apologizes if anyone is British. Actually, I like the British. They make more sense for the most part. Laughs at poor Isis.**

**Brianna Ishtar: It does the bubble gum? Raises an eyebrow. Ok… Stands far away. Lol. I believe he does there Brianna. Pulls out baseball bat and smacks him in the head with it. There, that fixed Ryou's stuttering.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yep, cuteness indeed. Yeah, I figured that's why he was so mean. Smacks him in the head again with baseball bat to teach him a lesson. Maybe if I beat him down with the bat he'll behave, hehe.**

**The last day or so, I've been working on my one-shot, which I'll post whenever the end of _The Wolves Seal_ is posted. It explains quite a few things with my story at the least, and it does help with the final sequel. Speaking of it, I've still yet to come up with a title, lol. I'll think of one, once I finish up the one-shot probably.**

**Btw, if anyone reads my fiancé's story, post who you think the sandy blonde haired guy is. It kind of explains why a certain character in the show was stronger than most thought.**

**At any rate, I'm finished for now. Enjoy till tomorrow. **

**Chapter 83**

Marie quickly studied Bakura's field as she prepared for her final assault on his life points. She had already wiped out 2900 of his life points, but Bakura seemed confident he could still win. "_How can this be? He has only two face-down cards, but no monsters out. I have more than enough monsters to wipe him out, yet he seems so sure he'll win._" she silently thought.

After a moment, she finally said "Mystical Shine Ball, attack Bakura directly with Shine Blast!" The small sphere of light glowed brighter and fired a beam of shining energy directly for Bakura.

He smiled, and said "I don't think so Marie! I was waiting for that last attack so I can do this. I activate my face down magic card, Emergency Provisions! This card allows me to send one magic/trap card on my field to the Graveyard in order to gain 1000 life points. So, I send my face down Destiny Board to the Graveyard, which increases my life points by 1000. But I'm far from done, because I next invoke my Deck Master's special ability. I pay 500 life points in order to resurrect my Archfiend Soldier (1900/1500) in attack mode!" The female fiend's eyes glowed and shot a beam from them to Bakura's Graveyard. The Graveyard slot glowed and a flash of light flew out. The purple fiend with horns then reappeared on the field, ready for a fight.

Marie smiled and said "Not bad Bakura. I was wondering why you looked so confident. I'll end my move." (Illidan 4000, Keith 0, Marie 3000, Bakura 1100)

"_Man, Marie was close. She almost had Bakura, and we could have moved onto the next team. Maybe Bakura is just stalling for time now._" thought Illidan with a sigh.

Bakura drew with fire in his eyes, saying "I'm not beat yet, so take this. First I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. Next I'll play the magic card Reasoning, allowing one of you two to guess a monster level. So, Marie, do me the honors."

Marie stood there, thinking for a moment and finally said "I'll pick level 4."

Nodding, Bakura said "Well, let's see what I can draw then my dear chaps. I draw, and luckily for me, or unluckily for you two, I drew my Earl of Demise (2000/700), which I special summon now in attack mode." A greenish monster, that looked more like a zombie than anything, in a red uniform of some kind and wielding a sword then appeared.

"Now watch as I sacrifice both in order to summon the most powerful fiend in Duel Monsters! I sacrifice Earl of Demise and Archfiend Soldier in order to summon Ultimate Obedient Fiend (3500/3000) in attack mode!" Both monsters dematerialized as a new, powerful monster took their place. This monster had the looks of a demon, yet showed a difference some how. It was large, red, and had many claws and teeth coating it. To say the least, it was a hideous beast.

Shocked, Illidan blurted out "No way! That thing has as much strength as my Valkyrion!"

Bakura smiled and nodded, saying "That's right Illidan, it does, but unfortunately, it's not quite ready for an attack. So, I'll set two cards face down and end my move. Make your moves, if you dare." (Illidan 4000, Keith 0, Marie 3000, Bakura 1100)

Illidan only looked on at the monster in shock slightly. "_Man, that thing is too strong for me to take on right now. I have to find another way to take it down without losing Valkyrion. Not to mention, it could easily level my powerful Jinzo, which would then turn the tables in his favor. I got to just find a card that will help me._"

He drew his next card to see his Harpie's Feather Duster card. Smiling, he said "I play the magic card Harpie's Feather Duster, destroying your magic and trap cards Bakura." A powerful wind blew up on the field, throwing both face down cards up into the wind.

Grinning, Bakura said "Thanks Illidan, I needed you to do that."

Illidan was surprised at this, and asked "What?"

Smirking, Bakura only replied with "You'll see soon chap."

Sighing, Illidan realized this was all he could do, so he said "I end my move." (Illidan 4000, Keith 0, Marie 3000, Bakura 1100)

Marie drew and glanced at her card for a moment, before saying "I switch my Mystical Shine Ball's and Winged Kuriboh to defense mode. Next I'll set two cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 4000, Keith 0, Marie 3000, Bakura 1100)

Bakura drew his next card and smiled, saying "I play my Pot of Greed and draw two new cards. Next I play the magic card known as Stop Defense! This allows me to switch one of your defensive monsters into attack mode, so I'll switch Marie's Winged Kuriboh into attack mode! Since that's done, I'll now play the magic card known as The Cheerful Coffin, which allows me to discard up to three monsters from my hand, but since I only have one, I send my Goblin King to the Graveyard. Now that I have no cards on the field or in my hand, I can finally use my Ultimate Obedient Fiend."

Curious, Illidan asked "What do you mean Bakura? Couldn't you use it last turn?"

Shaking his head, Bakura replied "Sorry Illidan, but I couldn't. You see, Ultimate Obedient Fiend is powerful, but it does have an effect. Unless I have no cards in my hand and none other than that card on the field, he can't attack. Once I have both cleared though, I can attack, so watch this. Ultimate Obedient Fiend, attack Marie's pathetic Winged Kuriboh with Punch of the Devil!" The devil like creature's eyes then glowed with power as it pulled its fist back.

As the punch was about to strike the small fur ball, Marie called out "I activate the magic card Book of Moon! Now my monster shifts to face down defense mode, saving my points!" With that, the small fur ball disappeared and became a defensive card image.

Slightly growling, Bakura said "Cranky, that isn't very nice. I'll still destroy your monster. Ultimate Obedient Fiend, smash that card image with Punch of the Devil!" The monster roared once more and struck the card image hard, making a small explosion appear.

"I'll end my move, but beware because my monster is still stronger than either of your monsters." (Illidan 4000, Keith 0, Marie 3000, Bakura 1100)

Smiling at Marie, Illidan sighed happily that she survived. He then noticed Marie nod at a card she had face down and then at Illidan.

Figuring out what she was silently saying, Illidan nodded back. He drew his card and said "I summon Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in defense mode." A woman in black robes with purple hair then appeared in a sitting position on the field.

"Now I'm going to end this round, once and for all. Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack Bakura's Ultimate Obedient Fiend with Magna Slash!" The large magnet creature let out a soft moan and launched itself into the air.

As it neared it's target, Illidan called out "Now Marie!"

Marie quickly activated her face down card, saying "I reveal the face down card known as Rush Recklessly! This magic card raises Illidan's Valkyrion the Magna Warrior's attack points by 700 during this turn (4200/3850)!" The magnet creature shimmered as his power increased, which increased it's speed. The monster made quick work of the red devil creature with it's large sword, making a fierce explosion.

All Bakura could do was yell "NO!" as his monster vanished.

"It's time to finish this Bakura. I activate my Deck Master's special ability, so Valkyrion, direct attack his life points with Magna Slash!" The magnet creature once again leapt forward, preparing to slash Bakura with it's sword.

When the monster was about ten feet from Bakura, he said "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. I can now draw from my deck till I draw a fiend monster, but I must place it in defense mode, and also, any magic or trap cards are automatically discarded to the Graveyard. So, now I draw. First, I draw Ring of Destruction. Next is my Barrel Behind the Door. Ah, now I draw Newdoria (1200/800), which I place in defense mode." A pinkish looking monster with green pants and a set of spikes up and down it's body on it's joints appeared. It was standing on shaky feet with arms stretched out like it was a mummy.

"So Illidan, will you continue your attack?" asked a curious Bakura.

Thinking for a moment, Illidan realized something. "_As I remember, that thing can destroy a monster when attacked. I can't afford to do that at the moment._" Sighing, he said "I'll end my move." (Illidan 4000, Keith 0, Marie 3000, Bakura 400)

Marie quickly drew and smirked at her new card, saying "Now, I'll play the magic card known as Fissure, so say good bye to your last defense Bakura!" A hand reached up from the ground, grabbing the weaker fiend monster on Bakura's field. It screamed in agony as the hand began dragging it back into the ground, instantly destroying it.

"Time I wrap things up with this round, so now my Venus, attack him directly with Tri-Sphere Beam!" The angel's three spheres glowed as they powered up. A blast from each sphere then met in the center and became one beam. The beam rushed across the field and prepared to strike Bakura.

As it neared, Bakura calmly said "I use my Deck Master's second special ability again. Now, I draw. First I draw Dark Ruler Ha Des, but unfortunately, it can't be special summoned. And since I can't use that ability a second time during the same turn, I guess it's over then..." The beam then continued on, hitting Bakura hard and knocking him off his feet. His Duel Disk then powered down, and he got back up and smiled.

As he was walking off the field, he kindly said to Illidan and Marie "Don't give up chaps. Good luck with the rest of this duel."

Both in unison said "Thanks Bakura."

The judge then said "Illidan and Marie have won the first round. Now 1000 life points shall be added to their score." Both of their point counters received an additional 1000 points.

"Next, the next team to enter is Seto Kaiba and Noa Kaiba. Duelists enter and activate your Duel Disks. The turn count shall restart with Illidan, followed by Seto, then Marie, then Noa. Begin!"

Seto and Noa then entered the ring and took their respective positions. Both then fired their holo projectors and had their Duel Disks unfold and power up.

Seto smirked at the two and said "Now meet the Deck Master that shall be your end. Come forth Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650)!" A large blue and purple sea warrior with a large lance then appeared at his side.

Noa smiled at the two and kindly said "Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000), I call you forth!" A huge blue skinned angel with golden wings then appeared to Noa's side.

Both then drew their five cards, and a new round began.

Illidan drew his new card and thought about what he had out. "_I still have Mirror Force down, and I have Jinzo, Witch of the Black Forest, and Valkyrion out. I have Mystical Space Typhoon now, so I'll just set it and wait and see what happens I guess._"

After finally formulating his plan, he said "I'll set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 5000, Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000)

Seto laughed, saying "Pathetic Illidan! Now watch a true duelist show you a good move. First, I play the magic card known as White Dragon Ritual. Now I send Vorse Raider from my hand to summon Paladin of White Dragon (1900/1200)." A green skinned warrior with white armor riding upon a white dragon then appeared overhead of Seto.

"Thanks to Marie's field card, he now gains an additional 500 attack points, but loses 400 defense points (2400/800). Next I activate it's special effect, allowing me to sacrifice it in order to special summon my mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) from my deck!" The knight on the dragon disappeared and the huge white metallic dragon appeared in its place.

"Like my Paladin of White Dragon, Blue-Eyes now gains an additional 500 attack points due that it's a light monster (3500/2100). What was once your greatest strength has now turned to be your undoing, muwhahaha! Next I'll summon Giant Germ (1000/100) in defense mode." A purple blob like creature with brown dots within it then appeared in on the field to defend Seto.

"Finally, I'll set one card face down. Now I end my move." (Illidan 5000, Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000)

Marie drew her new card and smiled, saying "To start with, I'll play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. Next, I'll summon my Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands (1400/1200) in attack mode." A grayish looking monster with tons of hands on it's body then appeared on the field.

"Now my Manju gets a power boost thanks to my field card (1900/800). Next, its special effect is activated since I summoned it. I can now add one ritual monster card from my deck to my hand, so I add Shinato, King of a Higher Plane. Finally, I'll set one card face down. That ends my move." (Illidan 5000, Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000)

Glancing over at Seto, Noa said "Seto, we must work together to beat these two. So, try and keep pace with me. I now summon my Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (800/2200) in defense mode." A floating monster with huge defensive wall like hands appeared on the field.

"I'll now set three cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 5000, Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000)


	84. Chapter 84: Tag Team Gauntlet, Pt 3

**Hello once more everyone. Well, today was alright. Lol, just about like any other day I go to work, other than it rained pretty hard all day. Hmm, nothing really new, so I'll get to the reviews now.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, Bakura put up a valiant effort, but came up short still. I thought why not throw UOF in for the heck of it. His effect is all that kills him, but like you said, use Skill Drain, and boom, strong monster. Oh joy, we can't have Seto sad due that he lost again. Lol, who knows though, he could win… I thought about putting BESD in his deck in this story, but the scenario for the movie probably hadn't had time yet, not to mention, I'm kind of didn't know about it at the time, lol. I was about done when I saw the card, and just ignored it then. Too much work to write in about the Pyramid of Light and all is mostly why, lol. **

**Isis the Sphinx: Thanks for the congrats, and yeah, I'll hit 100. Lol, I remember when I started this thing. I thought easily I could be done in 50, but that then changed to 100. You don't want to know where I finally ended, lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: He sure did for a while, but being tag teamed wore him down finally. Lol, both are a possibility with Kaiba's personality.**

**thehyperactivecow: Yep, she hadn't used those creatures to attack yet. Thanks for the comments.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yeah, he did rather well, all things considered. Lol, yes, much longer than last time. Pulls out baseball bat. Want me to fix that stuttering problem Ryou?**

**Well, that's all I have this morning. My fiancé finally received word that she'll start work on the 10th of July, so the 8th or 9th, she is headed up towards her new job. Sighs heavily I guess I'll just have to find a way to keep from missing her so much.**

**Anyways, enough about me. Here is the chapter, so enjoy.**

**Chapter 84**

Illidan drew his next card and smiled at it, knowing it would come in handy. "Now I summon D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in attack mode." A blond headed woman in grey and black armor then appeared on the field. She drew her sword from her sheath and swung it down, showing her readiness for battle.

"Now thanks to Marie's field card, she gains an additional 500 attack points, but of course loses 400 defense points (2000/1200). Time to eliminate an opponent, and it happens to be you Noa. Jinzo, attack Noa's Gear Golem the Moving Fortress with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg raised his hand, which was facing the fortress monster, and fired a single blast of dark energy from it.

Just as it was about to make contact, Noa called out "I reveal my face down The Reliable Guardian magic card! This card allows me to increase my monster's defense points by 700 points for the duration of the turn (800/2900)." The fortress monster glowed with power, raising its defensive strength. The blast crashed into it's large shield walls, but the blast was easily canceled out.

Sighing slightly, Illidan said "Fine then Noa, I'll attack your Gear Golem now with Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. Use your Magna Slash Valkyrion!" The large magnet warrior let out a small moan and charged the fortress monster.

As the attack was about to hit, Noa yelled "Not so fast there Illidan, I reveal my other face down The Reliable Guardian, once again giving my monster an additional 700 more defense points (800/3600), which is just enough to beat your Valkyrion." The fortress monster once again glowed with more defensive power. The magnet creature swung his sword hard into the wall of the fortress monster's armored shield walls, but the sword only broke in half.

Lightly growling, Illidan realized he needed to now focus on Seto instead, so he said "D.D. Warrior Lady, attack Seto's Giant Germ with Dimension Slash!" The lady warrior jumped into action and quickly ran across the field. She then slashed the purple blob monster with her sword, making it explode. The explosion sent goop flying to the floor and onto Illidan's Duel Disk.

Seto chuckled, saying "You may have destroyed my Giant Germ, but you triggered its special effect. When sent to the Graveyard due to battle, I can do 500 direct damage to your life points!" The small bit of goop on Illidan's Duel Disk then began pouring electricity out, which shocked Illidan, making him yelp in pain. Finally, it burned off and Illidan shook his arm to cool it.

Still smirking, Seto said "Next I can now special summon up to two more Giant Germs from my deck, so I'll summon both to the field in attack mode (1000/100)." Two more purple blobs with brown speckles then appeared on the field.

Realizing that to win this duel he had to lose a few points, Illidan said "Since I successfully destroyed your monster, I can now use my Deck Master's special ability. D.D. Warrior Lady, attack another Giant Germ of Seto's with Dimension Slash!" Once again the agile lady warrior dashed across the field and slashed another purple blob. This one exploded and sent another piece of itself flying at Illidan. It landed on his Duel Disk again and began shocking him like the last had. He gritted his teeth till finally the shock ended.

Seto only chuckled at this, saying "Thanks for helping me lower your points Illidan. All I had to do was watch!"

Lightly growling at the comment, Illidan slowly said "I'll end my move now Seto." (Illidan 3400, Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000)

Seto drew and smirked, and said "Now prepare to be crushed Illidan! First I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Paladin of White Dragon (2400/800)!" The dragon with a knight on its back reappeared on the field, roaring just as it had before.

"It's time to end this silly duel. I sacrifice my Paladin of White Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Giant Germ in order to summon Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" All three monsters disappeared from the field, and suddenly, the sky darkened and lightning flashed. Then lightning struck the ground behind Seto and slowly a blue creature began to rise behind him. The large Egyptian God rose from the ground and stretched his arms and wings out, letting out a horrible roar in the process.

Still laughing, Seto said "Obelisk the Tormentor, show Illidan why he should fear you by crushing his pathetic Jinzo with Fist of Fate!" The blue Egyptian God let out a small roar again and pulled his fist up as it began to glow with power. He then pushed it forward, slamming it hard into the cyborg monster, which could only let out a scream as the powerful Egyptian God crushed it. The force of the explosion from the cyborg's destruction pushed Illidan back slightly.

Laughing again, Seto said "That's enough punishment for now. I end my move." (Illidan 1800, Seto 4000, Marie 4000, Noa 4000)

Illidan was lost in thought immediately. "_Ah man! This is not good. Maybe now that our traps do work, Marie might have a plan._"

Glancing over at Marie, he saw her smile as she drew and said with confidence in her voice "I'm not afraid of your God Card, Seto Kaiba. And to prove it, I'll first, sacrifice my two Mystical Shine Ball's and The Agent of Creation – Venus in order to summon my Moisture Creature (2800/2900) in attack mode." A black sphere with two yellow eyes and what looked like a hair dryer and a morocco shaped object appeared on the field.

"When I sacrifice three monsters to summon Moisture Creature, its effect is triggered. Now I can destroy all magic and trap cards on my opponent's field. So, say good bye to whatever you two had planned!" The black sphere creature then aimed its hair dryer at Noa's face down cards and fired, then turned to Seto and fired yet again Both growled in frustration due that Marie had out smarted them.

"Also, my monster now gets the power bonus thanks to my field card (3300/2500). Moisture Creature, attack Noa's Gear Golem with Dry Out Blast!" The sphere monster then pointed its hair dryer at the fortress creature. With a mighty roar, the dryer powered up and blew away the fortress monster's defensive walls, easily destroying the creature as well.

"Thanks to my Deck Master, I now gain life points equal to your monster's attack points, so I get an 800 point boost to my life points. That ends my move." (Illidan 1800, Seto 4000, Marie 4800, Noa 4000)

"Noa, you know what you have to do. Eliminate Illidan fast, before he can recover from my blast with Obelisk!" commanded Seto.

Noa only smirked, saying "Yeah, yeah Seto. Like I'll take orders from you, but you have a point. Now I make my move. I first move my Deck Master to the field. So, Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000) is in play now." The large blue skinned angel slowly glided from his Deck Master position to the field. It then took up a fighting stance.

Marie quickly called out "Before you continue Noa, I activate my face down card. I reveal my trap called Compulsory Evacuation Device, which returns a monster from the field to a player's hand. So, I'll return my Manju back to my hand now." A little box then appeared around the grey skinned monster. The box then blasted off from the field and disappeared.

"That will do it for me." commented Marie.

In a slightly irritated voice, Noa said "As I was about to say before Marie interrupted me, Shinato gains a power boost thanks to Marie's own field card (3800/2600). Next I summon my Inaba White Rabbit (700/500) in attack mode." A rabbit on top of a rocket engine then appeared on the field.

"Next I play my magic card called Spring of Rebirth. Whenever a monster is now returned to someone's hand, I'll gain 500 more life points. Time for an attack, and I have the perfect target! Inaba White Rabbit, direct attack Marie's life points with Rocket Blast Off!"

Shocked at what he heard, Seto screamed "WHAT?"

Seto glared at Noa, yelling "You moron, I told you to attack Illidan, not Marie!"

Smirking, Noa said with a face that pretty much stated his feelings "I don't really care. It's too late."

The rocket the rabbit was sitting on then powered up and blasted off. It began zooming across the field wildly, seemingly out of control.

Just as it was about to strike, Noa said "Behind you my friend."

Marie was distracted by what Noa said for a second, but soon felt pain from the rocket slamming into her back, which nearly knocked her to the ground.

"Now the life points you lost are transferred to my points thanks to my Deck Master. Shinato, attack Marie's pathetic Moisture Creature now with Cosmic Halo!" The blue skinned angel held out his arms, causing twelve spheres to appear in front of him. They began to spin in a circle till they looked like a disk, if not a halo. Finally, the angel threw it at the black sphere creature, intending on slashing it in half.

Realizing he couldn't let Marie lose her monster, Illidan yelled "I don't think so Noa! I reveal my trap card known as Mirror Force, protecting Marie's monster with it. Now Mirror Force, repel the attack and destroy all of Noa's attack mode monsters!" A shining multicolored wall of light appeared in front of the halo attack, causing the attack to bounce off of it and head straight back from where it began.

Shocked as the attack came barreling back at him, Noa said "I activate Shinato's final Deck Master ability, Reversal! This moves Shinato back to his Deck Master position, but I can't use him on the field ever again." The large angel then disappeared off the field, but soon enough rematerialized beside Noa. The rabbit creature was not as lucky as the returning attack tore through it and it's rocket.

"I end my move." (Illidan 1800, Seto 4000, Marie 4100, Noa 4700)

Smiling, Illidan saw his chance he was looking for to get rid of Noa. He quickly drew and said "I'll play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards from my deck." He picked up his two new cards to see his Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End and Monster Reborn.

Smirking, he looked over at Marie, who nodded, seemingly saying she had something to help him out. Getting the picture, he said "Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, attack Seto's Obelisk the Tormentor with Magna Slash!" The large magnet creature quickly zoomed across the field at it's target.

Seto only laughed evilly, saying "What a foolish move Illidan! Obelisk, crush his Valkryion now with Fist of Fate!" The battle of the two monsters looked like a fly battling a human. As the blue monster prepared to strike the magnet creature down, Marie only smirked.

She then said "Now I activate my face down trap cards in order to help Illidan's monster out. I reveal first Blast with Chain, which raises Valkyrion's attack points by 500 points (4000/3850). Next, I reveal my other card, Reinforcements! This card raises Valkyrion's attack points by 500 during this turn (4500/3850)! Say good bye to Obelisk, Seto!" The two cards caused the magnet creature's sword to glow with new found power, fixing it and repairing it from it's previous encounter. It then dodged the huge blue monster's fist that was coming down at it and struck the large monster in the heart with it's sword. It seemed to then pour power into the sword.

"NOOO!" screamed Seto as he watched his Egyptian God howl in pain from the attack. At long last, the mighty monster exploded, causing a huge tremor throughout the tower.

Smirking at his handy work, Illidan said "It's time invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Since I just destroyed your monster, I can attack again. Valkyrion, direct attack Seto's life points with Magna Slash!" The large magnet creature quickly flew straight for Seto, preparing to strike him in order to finish him off.

Seto was seething with great anger and screamed "I REFUSE TO LOSE THIS DUEL! I ACTIVATE MY DECK MASTER'S SECOND SPECIAL ABILITY, ALLOWING ME TO DRAW FROM MY DECK! IF I DRAW A LIGHT MONSTER, ITS SPECIAL SUMMONED, SO LET IT BE REVEALED NOW!"

Picking up a card, he smirked and said "I special summon my Blade Knight (1600/1000) in defense mode. Also, thanks to Marie's field card, he gains 500 attack points, but loses 400 defense points (2100/600)." A white knight in full body armor then appeared in a defensive stance.

Slightly smirking, Illidan said "That won't matter Seto. Valkyrion, attack Blade Knight now with Magna Slash!" The magnet creature quickly changed its target from Seto to white knight, which it easily slashed in half with one quick swipe of it's sword.

"D.D. Warrior Lady, direct attack Seto's life points with Dimension Slash!" The lady warrior quickly dashed across the field and slashed Seto with her sword, making him slide backwards, but he remained standing.

"I'll end my move now." (Illidan 1800, Seto 1500, Marie 4100, Noa 4700)

Growling loudly, Seto yelled as he drew "You may have gotten a few good swipes in on me Illidan, but I'm far from done. Now watch as I play my Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. Next I set one card face down, and then thanks to my Deck Master, summon my Different Dimension Dragon (1200/1500) in defense mode due that his level was cut down by two. He gains the power bonus of course (1700/1100)." A light blue and white dragon with four wings appeared on the field. It's snake like body seemed to curl up in a defensive stance.

"Next I use my Deck Master's second special ability to draw for a light monster to special summon to the field. So, I now draw." Seto drew and looked at the card and instantly smiled.

"I drew my Hyozanryu (2100/2800), and I'll place him in defense mode. It as well gets the power bonus (2600/2400)." A beautiful white dragon that looked like it was made of diamonds then appeared. It let out a soft roar and then pulled it's wings and arms and legs in to a defensive stance. It had a long diamond horn on it's nose, making it look that much more fierce.

"I end my move." (Illidan 1800, Seto 1500, Marie 4100, Noa 4700)

Marie drew her new card and was about to make her move when suddenly Seto interrupted her, saying "Hold on Marie, I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. Now I draw a card from my deck. If it's a light monster, I can summon it automatically."

Seto drew his card and began laughing, saying "I drew Kaiser Glider (2400/2200) and I summon him in defense mode. By the way, he gets your little bonus (2900/1800). Now continue on Marie." A golden metallic looking dragon then appeared on the field.

Slightly annoyed, Marie said "As I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted, I shall summon my Hysteric Fairy (1800/500) in attack mode. Now she gets a boost due to my field card (2300/100)." A fairy with glasses, blue hair, and books in her arms then appeared on the field. She looked more like a secretary with wings than a monster really.

"Direct attack Noa's life points Hysteric Fairy with Fairy Beam!" The fairy quickly adjusted her glasses and a beam of energy fired from behind them, heading straight for Noa.

Seto quickly interrupted with "You owe me for this Noa! I activate my face down trap known as Attack Guidance Armor! This allows me to switch the target of your attack to whatever monster I wish. So, I'll redirect the shot from my step brother to Illidan's Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" A sudden chunk of grey armor appeared on the large magnet warrior. The beam suddenly redirected it's target straight for the large warrior.

Marie quickly said "Oh no! If it hits, my monster will be destroyed!"

Illidan only flashed a smile at Marie, saying "Don't worry Marie, I have a plan. I reveal my face down Mystical Space Typhoon! This allows me to destroy the armor you gave my Valkyrion, thus redirecting the attack back at Noa!" Seto only stood in horror as the armor was destroyed and the beam redirected yet again, this time straight back at Noa.

Growling with anger, Seto yelled "I move my Hyozanryu in to defend Noa's life points now!" Everyone was shocked as the diamond dragon jumped in the way of the attack that was about to strike Noa. The blast struck the dragon, making it roar, but it managed to survive the blast.

Shocked, Illidan's mind screamed "_No way! Seto actually helped Noa. Why is he protecting Noa? Has he finally figured out it will take both of them to win this duel?_"

Noa weakly said "Thanks Seto."

Slightly growling, Seto replied "Don't thank me yet. I unfortunately need you in order to win this duel, so you'd better start helping me out." Noa only nodded towards his step brother with that knowledge in mind.

Marie slightly growled at this and said "Fine, since you want to defend him Seto, I'll have Moisture Creature now attack your Kaiser Glider with Dry Out Blast!" The black sphere creature then took aim at the golden dragon and fired its hair dryer, which instantly vaporized the dragon.

"Now I gain the life points equal to your monster's attack points thanks to my Deck Master. That'll end my move." (Illidan 1800, Seto 1500, Marie 6900, Noa 4700)


	85. Chapter 85: Tag Team Gauntlet, Pt 4

**Hey everyone. Well, yet another day has come and gone, so joy, lol. Is so tired. I stayed up too late Tuesday night, and I'm still paying for it tonight. Oh well, I'll make it up, somehow, lol. At any rate, time for some reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yes, he actually saved Noa. And yes, hell has frozen over for that to happen, lol. When the two work together, the brothers are tough, but that's when they work together. And yes, they have nothing on Illidan and Marie, who truly can keep on the same page. If they get off the same page though, who knows.**

**MarkMachine: Indeed, he finally figured that much out. As for Attack Guidance Armor, yeah, it's more than likely not that kind of trap. I kind of forgot about that, but I changed it to where it sort of acted like an equip card for one turn, which is why I used it the way I did. There is no real specific way to use it is why I just did it my way. Joey is another story though. He is still promised a duel against Illidan, so that rematch is coming.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Hehe, yep, he finally got it. Lol, I guess you may, but I'll not tell yet. When I started, as I said, I thought 50 chapters tops. Then it hit 50 and I was yet to finish. Then I thought, oh, probably 75 to 100. Well, I got that far, and still wasn't done. You'll see how many I finally came out in the end, so patience.**

**thehyperactivecow: Yep, he got rather crazy in that duel. As for learning something, who knows, it's possible, hehe.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Yeah, he's like got a helpful gene deep, deep within himself. It like barely exists. Poor Ryou. Smacks him in head with baseball bat again for good measure.**

**Well, I'm done for the day, so enjoy. Tomorrow I'll post two chapters, so till then, enjoy.**

**Chapter 85**

Noa drew quickly and sighed, saying "I'll summon Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000) in defense mode." A giant stone like creature then appeared on the field and set down on its knees. It then put its arms in front of itself in order to defend itself.

Before Noa could continue, Seto interrupted him, saying "Before you continue Noa, I'll activate my Deck Master's second special ability." Seto drew his card but only frowned at it.

"I drew Ring of Destruction, so it's sent to the Graveyard. I'm done now."

Noa nodded and continued with his move. "Next I'll place one card face down. That ends my move." (Illidan 1800, Seto 1500, Marie 6900, Noa 4700)

Illidan drew his card and smiled, realizing it was time to finish this duel. "I play Monster Reborn, allowing me to resurrect Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3500/2100)!" The mighty white metallic dragon then reappeared with a loud roar.

Seething with anger, Seto yelled "HOW DARE YOU DISREPECT MY DRAGON, ILLIDAN!"

Illidan only smirked, and replied with "I'm not disrespecting it, I'm just giving it a new home. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Noa's Giant Soldier of Stone with White Lightning!" The dragon roared and let a power stream of white energy be released from it's mouth, which easily turned the stone creature into dust.

"Now my Deck Master allows me to attack again, so Blue-Eyes, fire your White Lightning at Noa directly!" Once again the dragon roared and opened it's jaws. It then fired a powerful stream of pure white energy straight at Noa.

With the blast nearing, Seto quickly yelled "I move my Different Dimension Dragon to defend Noa's life points!" The light blue and white dragon with four wings quickly moved in front of Noa, taking the full hit from the blast, which easily disintegrated the dragon.

Growling from the loss, Seto in an irritated voice, said "You owe me two now Noa."

Noa weakly smiled and replied "Thanks Seto."

Illidan quickly considered things that had just happened. "_If Seto is going to defend Noa, he'll have to withstand two more attacks, and Seto only has one more monster to spare. I doubt Seto will defend Noa again though. Let's find out if I'm right._"

Smiling, Illidan called out "Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, direct attack Noa with your Magna Slash!" The magnet creature quickly raced towards Noa, sending power into his blade, which began to glow brightly.

When it was about to swing it's sword at Noa, Seto yelled "I move my Hyonzaryu in to defend Noa's life points!" The diamond dragon took off across the field with lightning quick speed and took the downward strike meant for Noa. The strike easily crushed the dragon, making it roar as it exploded.

Lightly laughing, Illidan said tauntingly "So Seto, you're so concerned with saving Noa that you'd leave yourself wide open?"

Seto only growled at Illidan as Illidan then said "D.D. Warrior Lady, direct attack Seto's life points with Dimension Slash!" The lady warrior ran across the field as she prepared to strike Seto.

As she neared, Seto interrupted, saying "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability." Seto seemed to concentrate for a second and then drew.

He looked at the card and laughed manically, and yelled "Meet my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) in attack mode, Illidan! Of course, it gets a power boost as well (3500/2100)." Another mighty white metallic dragon appeared on the field, blocking the path to Seto. The female warrior quickly retreated back to Illidan's side with the appearance of the new monster.

Realizing Seto was out of reach, he decided to take another target. "Fine then Seto, I'll switch the target to Noa's life points. D.D. Warrior Lady, direct attack Noa's life points with Dimension Slash!" With that, the lady warrior ran across the field and easily slashed Noa. Noa slid back slightly, but survived the attack.

He seemed more shocked than anything, and yelled "Why didn't you save me Seto?"

Seto only glared at Noa, and replied "That's a stupid question. After all I did, you ask that? Remember, D.D. Warrior Lady can remove from game monsters. If I had defended you, I'd have lost my dragon! Think a little Noa!"

Lightly chuckling at the fighting, Illidan said "If you two are done arguing, I'll set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 1800, Seto 1500, Marie 6900, Noa 2700)

Seto drew and said "I summon Spirit Ryu (1000/1000) in defense mode." A little blue dragon with wings for arms and an odd looking tail in a defending stance.

"Next I set one card face down. Now Blue-Eyes, attack Illidan's pathetic Witch of the Black Forest with White Lightning!" The dragon roared and released a powerful stream of energy at the woman robed in black. She was instantly vaporized by the blast.

Smiling at this, Illidan quickly said "Thanks Seto, for your attack allowed me to add one monster with 1500 or less defense points to my hand from my deck. So, I'll add Kuriboh."

Laughing, Seto replied "Pathetic! That ends my move." (Illidan 1800, Seto 1500, Marie 6900, Noa 2700)

Marie quickly said "And begins mine. I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands (1400/1200) in attack mode. By the way, he gets a power boost now (1900/800)." A grey monster with lots of hands covering his body then reappeared on the field.

"Now thanks to his effect, I can pick a Ritual Magic Card from my deck, and I pick Shinato's Ark. Now I play the magic card called Shinato's Ark, allowing me to sacrifice my Moisture Creature in order to special summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000). And of course, he gets the boost (3800/2600)." A huge blue skinned angel with golden wings then appeared on the field. It was the exact same monster that Noa had as a Deck Master.

"Shinato, attack Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon with Cosmic Halo!" The angel held out his arms and twelve spheres appeared in front of him. Quickly, they began to spin till finally a disk of energy formed, which looked more like a halo. The angel seemingly pushed the disk straight at the white dragon, which was easily slashed by the huge disk, causing the dragon to roar in pain as it exploded.

Seto only growled as Marie smirked, saying "Now I add your monster's attack points to my life points. Next, I'll attack your Spirit Ryu my Manju with Ten Thousand Rapid Fire Punch!" The grey multi-handed monster quickly started throwing several punches at the blue dragon, easily destroying it with just a few.

"I add those points to my life points as well, and now it's time to finish you off Seto! Direct attack his life points Hysteric Fairy with Fairy Beam!" The blue haired fairy straightened her glasses and let a blast fly out from behind them.

The beam came rushing towards Seto, but he seemed unafraid. He smirked, saying "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability." Seto drew and looked disappointed at the card he had.

"I drew my Block Attack, so I wasted my draw."

He seemed resigned to lose, but then smirked, saying "Just kidding. I reveal my face down magic card called Ring of Defense! This card will defend my life points for the remainder of the turn." A ring appeared out in front of Seto, and began spinning. It withstood the blast from the fairy, allowing Seto to survive.

Taunting, he said "Too bad Marie. You had your chance, but blew it."

Marie only slightly growled, but lightly smiled after that. "I end my move." (Illidan 1800, Seto 1500, Marie 11400, Noa 2700)

Noa drew and smiled, saying "I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. Next I play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three new cards, but I must discard two from my hand once I'm done. Now I send Flame Ruler and Inaba White Rabbit to the Graveyard. Now I play Monster Reborn, bringing back Flame Ruler (1500/1600) in attack mode." A man with blue hair and cloaked in a reddish coat appeared. He was surrounded by flames, which didn't seem to bother him.

"Next I sacrifice him in order to summon Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi (2800/2900) in attack mode…"

Shocked at this, Illidan said "Wait, that's a level eight monster. You only sacrificed one monster for him!"

Smirking, Noa nodded, saying "Illidan, you should know me better than that. My Flame Ruler has the ability to count as two sacrifices for when I summon a fire attribute monster. Now, where was I? Ah yes, I just summoned my monster." A man appeared that seemed rather muscular, with fire hair and some kind of odd pants.

"Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack Marie's pathetic Manju with Fist of Flames!" The fire monster leapt towards the grey multi-handed monster with his fist ready to strike.

Just as it neared, Illidan interrupted, saying "Sorry Noa, but I activate my face down trap called Magic Cylinder! This fires your own attack right back at your own life points!"

Shocked as two cylinders appeared in front of Marie's monster, Noa yelled "OH NO!"

The flamed headed monster went into the first cylinder and then came barreling back out the other. It came flying straight at Noa and struck him hard, engulfing him in flames as he was struck. The attack knocked him to his knees, where he sat for a moment panting. His life points easily ran down to zero, instantly shutting down his Duel Disk.

As he stood back up, he smiled and said "Nice job you two. Good luck Seto, because you'll need it." (Illidan 1800, Seto 1500, Marie 11400, Noa 0)

Illidan drew his card and smiled at his Raigeki. "It's time to finish this little skirmish with you Seto. I play the magic card known as Raigeki! Now all your monsters are destroyed Seto!" Lightning poured from the sky, striking the white dragon hard, making it explode.

Seto screamed "NOOO!" as he saw his dragon disappear, leaving him wide open to attack.

Smiling, Illidan called out "Valkyrion, finish this round by direct attacking his life points with Magna Slash!" The magnet creature raced towards Seto, sword powered up and glowing with energy.

Growling, Seto yelled "It's not over yet, for I activate my Deck Master's second special ability."

Seto quickly drew, expecting a monster, but seemed disappointed by the card he had. He sadly said "I drew Soul Exchange." The magnet creature then slashed it's blade across Seto, making him fall to his knees, causing his life points to drop to zero. This of course caused his Duel Disk to power down as well. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet and walked off the field with what looked like a pout on his face.

The judge raised his hand and said "The winner of this round is Illidan and Marie. Now you both gain 1000 life points. Next duelists to duel are Mai Valentine and Joey Wheeler. Please enter and activate your Duel Disks, then bring out your Deck Masters. The turn count shall restart with Illidan, followed by Joey, then Marie, and Mai finally. Once you two are ready, begin."

Joey and Mai then entered to their positions. Both fired their holo projectors and then had their Duel Disks unfold and power up.

With a smirk on his face and pure confidence in his eyes, Joey yelled "Flame Swordsman (1800/1600), it's time to get it on." A swordsman in orange and blue armor then appeared on the field beside Joey.

Mai quickly yelled out as well "Let's do it Amazoness Paladin (1700/300)." The woman in a pinkish cloak then appeared on the field, holding out her sword. She moved to Mai's side.

Both Joey and Mai then drew their first five cards and nodded that they were ready.

That signaled Illidan to draw his next card. He calmly said "I set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 2800, Joey 4000, Marie 12400, Mai 4000)

Joey drew with confidence in his eyes, and said "I'll start things off by summoning my Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode." A knight in heavy black metallic armor appeared on the field.

"Next I play the magic card known as Release Restraint. This card allows me to sacrifice my Gearfried the Iron Knight in order to special summon Gearfried the Swordmaster (2600/2300)!" Gearfried's armor suddenly began glowing. Then the light glowed so bright that everyone was temporarily blinded. When the light died, there stood a warrior with long black hair and a well defined body.

"By the way, if you didn't know, this Gearfried is a light monster, so he gets a power boost due to Marie's field card (3100/1900). Next I play the magic card known as Sword of Dragon's Soul!" A huge sword with spikes then appeared in front of the warrior, who gladly took hold of the sword and swung it into an offensive stance.

"This card raises the attack points of my Gearfried by 700 points (3800/1900). Also, any dragon that battles Gearfried now will instantly be destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase. By the way Illidan, when I equip a card to my Gearfried the Swordmaster, his special ability is activated. He automatically destroys one monster on the field. So, I'll choose your D.D. Warrior Lady!" The warrior let out a battle cry and then pointed his new sword at the lady warrior. With a sweep of his sword, an energy wave came out straight at the warrior lady. She was struck hard, causing her to scream out in pain as she was destroyed.

Illidan only lightly growled at this as Joey said "Next I'll set two cards face down. That ends my move." (Illidan 2800, Joey 4000, Marie 12400, Mai 4000)

Marie drew her next card and said "I'll draw and summon my Shining Angel (1400/800) in attack mode. Also, he gains a power boost (1900/400)." A male angel appeared on the field. He had golden wings and a kind look on his face.

"That ends my move." (Illidan 2800, Joey 4000, Marie 12400, Mai 4000)

Mai smiled and drew, saying "I'll start by summoning my Amazoness Swords Woman (1500/1600) in attack mode." A wild looking Amazon with red hair and a many muscles then appeared. She held in her one hand a large sword that looked like it could nearly cut through anything.

"Next she gains 300 attack and defense points thanks to my Deck Master (1800/1900). Finally, I'll set three cards face down. That ends my move." (Illidan 2800, Joey 4000, Marie 12400, Mai 4000)

Studying the field, Illidan decided what his strategy should be. "_I have to take down Joey first due to his powerful warrior. If he hits my Blue-Eyes, he's a goner. Come on Heart of the Card, guide me._"

Illidan drew his next card and smiled at his Imperial Order. "I'll start by setting one card face down. Now I'll end my move." (Illidan 2800, Joey 4000, Marie 12400, Mai 4000)

Smirking and taunting Illidan, Joey asked "Why didn't you attack Illidan? You had the stronger monster. Heh, afraid I have a trap card down are you? Well, I might and I might not, but now we'll see what I can do. I draw and I'll summon Rocket Warrior (1500/1300) in attack mode. He also gets the power boost due that he's a light monster (2000/900)." A warrior with rocket like pieces on him appeared on the field. It raised its shield and swung its sword showing it's readiness for battle.

"Now Rocket Warrior, transform to your Invincible Mode!" The warrior then began transforming into a green rocket.

"Rocket Warrior, attack Illidan's Valkyrion the Magna Warrior with Rocket Shot!" The rocket took off and flew straight for the magnet creature. The magnet warrior was struck by the rocket on it's arm, where it now showed a good scratch. Suddenly his attack points went down by 500 points (3500/3850).

Realizing what Joey was about to do, he silently thought "_He'll use Gearfried now. Come on Joey, I know you want to attack, so do it._"

"Gearfried the Swordmaster, attack Illidan's Valkyrion the Magna Warrior now with Sword of Dragon's Soul Strike!" The warrior quickly leapt across the field. He closed the ground quickly and was upon the magnet creature quickly. As he struck out for the magnet warrior, Illidan only smirked.

Illidan quickly yelled "I don't think so Joey! Reveal face down trap card, Imperial Order! Now all magic cards on the field are instantly negated, which means your Gearfried loses 1200 attack points (2600/2300)!"

Joey had a shocked look on his face, but then regained his composure and said "Not so fast Illidan, I reveal my face down trap card as well. Go my Seven Tools of the Bandit! This trap allows me to give up 1000 life points in order to negate one trap card that was activated. So, I pay the 1000 and destroy your Imperial Order!" A pocket knife appeared on the field. It then flew over to the face up Imperial Order and struck it, instantly shattering the card.

Joey grinned great big and said "Now, where was I? Ah yes, Gearfried, destroy Valkyrion now!" The warrior then prepared to strike the magnet warrior again with it's sword.

Right before the sword was ready to strike the magnet creature, Illidan said "In that case Joey, I reveal my other face down, Waboku! This card cancels out your attack and reduces all damage to both of us to 0." Three female mages in blue robes appeared before the warrior and held out their hands, which stopped the sword from coming down onto the magnet warrior. The black haired warrior was then thrown back across the field, seemingly shocked at the result of the battle.

Joey lightly growled, saying "So close… I end my move by setting one card face down." (Illidan 2800, Joey 3000, Marie 12400, Mai 4000)

Marie drew and said "It's my move, and I have the cure to your problem Joey. I play Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Sword of Dragon's Soul!" A powerful whirlwind/typhoon fired directly at the sword the black haired warrior was holding. It was instantly shattered by the blast, lowering the monster's power (3100/1900).

"Shinato, attack his Gearfried now with Cosmic Halo!" The blue skinned angel raised his hands and a disc appeared. He then threw it at the warrior, easily striking him and causing the warrior to explode.

"Next I add his attack points to my life points. Hysteric Fairy, attack his Rocket Warrior with Fairy Beam!" The blue headed fairy straightened her glasses and fired her beam from her eyes directly at the green rocket monster. It was easily destroyed, causing a small explosion.

"I add Rocket Warrior's attack points to my life points now. Manju, direct attack his life points with Ten Thousand Rapid Fire Punch!" The grey monster prepared to start launching his fists as Joey smirked.

Joey grinned and said "I don't think so, reveal the magic card Scapegoat! Now I get four Scapegoat Tokens (0/0) in defense mode." Four little goats then appeared on the field.

Nodding, Marie said "Very well, Manju, attack a Scapegoat Token with Ten Thousand Rapid Fire Punch!" The grey monster quickly jabbed the orange goat roughly till it finally exploded.

"Shining Angel, attack another goat with Golden Wing Blast!" The angel's wings glowed brightly and he brought his hands in front of him. He then transferred the power from his wings to his hands, firing a huge beam at the blue goat creature, which was easily blown away by the blast.

"I'll set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 2800, Joey 2000, Marie 17500, Mai 4000)

Sarcastically, Mai said "Wow! Marie has 17500 life points and I only have a measly 4000. What am I to do!"

Everyone only laughed at Mai's comment, but realized that it was true. Marie was showing her Deck Master's impressive powers once again, which showed that she'd be tough to conquer.


	86. Chapter 86: Tag Team Gauntlet, Pt 5

**Hey everybody! Listens to them say "Hi Doctor Nick." Wait, wrong place for that, hehe. Well, hmm, dumb problems have yet again delayed my post, so I'm posting all three chapters (I planned on posting two Friday, but now it's three for Saturday). Anyways, time for reviews.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, as am I for replies.**

**thehyperactivecow: Illegal indeed. Noa had that many, well, close to that many, at one time, but Yami/Yugi still beat him. Btw, if they ran out of cards, they lose. That's the biggest challenge with the Tag Team Gauntlet. It's to test them to their fullest abilities, which means conserving cards, and defeating opponents quickly without wasting too much time.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, they maybe fighting hard, but as you'll see throughout the duel, it does wear them down. They only dueled once that day anyways, so they got to rest up somewhat between the matches. Smacks Ryou one more time with baseball bat. Just making sure, hehe.**

**Well, that's all for this morning, so till tomorrow. Btw, I've posted 2 chapters today, so enjoy them. I'll post the next one tomorrow, so till then.**

**Chapter 86**

Mai drew and smiled at her card. She glanced over at Joey, seeing he only had his two Scapegoat Tokens out for a defense. Smiling again, she said "It's my move, and I begin by playing Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. Now I play the field card known as Harpie's Hunting Ground! Since I'm playing a field card that means Marie's field card is instantly destroyed!" Suddenly the light of Marie's field card died down and was destroyed, instantly lowering the attack and raising the defense of all of the light attribute monsters out (3000/2500) (3300/3000) (1400/800) (1800/500) (1400/1200). A new field appeared to replace the old one, this one full of green grass and tall trees.

"Now I summon my Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300) in attack mode. And thanks to my field card, she gains an additional 200 attack and defense points (2000/1500)." A woman like bird creature appeared, screeching. She then spread her arms that had wings attached to them.

"Also, thanks to my Cyber Harpie Lady being summoned, Harpie's Hunting Ground's other effect is triggered. When a Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters is summoned or special summoned, I can destroy one trap or magic card on the field, and I know the one I want gone. I choose Marie's new face down card." The bird woman leaped into the air and came down hard on the face down card, which was instantly smashed and revealed to be a card called Negate Attack.

Marie only let a slight bit of irritation cross her face as she said "You destroyed my Negate Attack card."

Mai only laughed, saying "Too bad you couldn't use it against me hunny. I'm not done yet, because Harpies are so much fun. But one Harpie is never enough, so I now play the magic card known as Elegant Egotist! This allows me to triple my Harpie Lady force into the Harpie Lady Sisters (1800/1300), and each gain 200 attack and defense points thanks to my Harpie's Hunting Ground (2000/1500)." The one bird lady then leapt into the air and began glowing. After the glow died down, three bird women appeared, each looking nearly the same except for their hair color. There was a pink haired one, a blue haired one, and an orange haired one.

"And thanks to me special summoning my Harpie Lady Sisters, I can destroy yet another magic/trap card on the field. So I'll choose Marie's Blast with Chain, which was boosting Illidan's Valkyrion's attack points (3500/3850)." The three bird women then flew at the trap and then struck it with their talons. Once they did, a rocket suddenly appeared on the field, flying madly.

Shocked, Mai screamed "What is that?"

Marie only laughed, replying with "You should have known my trap had more than one effect. Since you just destroyed Blast with Chain, its second effect kicked in. Now I can destroy one card on the field, and I think I'll choose your Harpie's Hunting Ground field card. Now Blast with Chain, destroy her field card!" The rocket flew straight into the field card, instantly blowing it up and lowering all three bird women's points (1800/1300) x 3.

Mai only growled softly at this, but finally sighed and said "Oh well, I guess I'll have to make due without my field card. Now my first Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Marie's Manju with Cyber Slash!" The pink haired bird woman took off into the air. She then came down and slashed the grey multi-handed monster with her talons, which instantly destroyed it.

"Now my second Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Marie's Shining Angel with Cyber Slash!" The second of the flock took off, bearing down hard on the male angel. He was instantly destroyed with one sweep of the blue headed bird woman's talons.

As he disappeared, a new light formed on the field from him, causing Mai to ask "What is this!"

Marie only lightly smirked, saying "It's my Shining Angel's special ability. When he's destroyed in battle, I get to automatically special summon one light monster from my deck to the field in attack mode. Of course, it must have less than 1500 attack points, but that's not a problem. And the monster I'll pick shall be Goddess of Whim (950/700)." A woman with green leaf like hair and a teal dress then appeared on the field. She leaned back and yawned at the duel.

Mai only laughed, saying "If that's all you got, then watch this. My third Cyber Harpie Lady, use Cyber Slash on her Goddess of Whim!" The orange haired bird woman took to the air and started circling the green haired monster. It then dove in for the kill. When it was about to make the slash, the green haired woman began to glow.

Surprised and unsure of what was happening, Mai asked "What is happening!"

Marie smirked and replied "Goddess of Whim's special effect has been triggered. Here is how it works. I can now flip a coin. If I call it right, my monster's attack points double for the turn. I call it wrong and they're halved for the turn. So, feeling lucky Mai?"

Mai only laughed, and said "Give it you best shot hun."

A large coin then appeared on the field. It then flipped up into the air. As it was falling down, Marie said "I call heads!" The huge holo coin then clanged to the ground, causing everyone to gasp at the site. It was heads!

Grinning great big, Marie giggled innocently and screamed "Yes, that means Goddess of Whim's attack points double this turn (1900/700), which means your Harpie is going down!" The green haired woman glowed with new power and opened her eyes up for the first time. She revealed envy green eyes and quickly slapped the bird woman's talons away with a stiff hand, and then jumped into the air and struck the bird woman in the gut with a strong kick, causing the bird woman to explode.

Mai only growled in frustration and said "I end my move." (Illidan 2800, Joey 2000, Marie 18500, Mai 3900)

Illidan looked over at Marie and gave her a thumb up. She only smiled sweetly back at him and Illidan returned to drawing his card. He smiled at his Dark Magician of Chaos he now held and glanced over the field. Deciding he'd better not summon his monster just yet, he decided to clear out Mai and Joey before he done anything else.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Joey's Scapegoat Token with White Lightning!" The dragon roared and opened it's jaws, releasing a stream of white energy at the little red goat. It was easily blown away by the fierceness of the attack.

"Now I'll use my Deck Master's special ability and have Blue-Eyes attack your other Scapegoat Token with White Lightning!" The dragon fired once more, instantly vaporizing the pink goat. Suddenly, Joey found himself without any monsters to defend himself with.

"Time to end this Joey, and I'll do it with Valkyrion. Valkyrion, direct attack his life points with Magna Slash!" The magnet creature let out a small moan and moved towards Joey with a quick pace.

Within moments of striking Joey, Mai yelled "I move my Cyber Harpie Lady to block the attack!" The female bird quickly jumped in the way of the magnet creature as it swung it's sword down, easily slashing the bird and destroying it easily.

Deciding that was enough for the turn, he said "I end my move." (Illidan 2800, Joey 2000, Marie 18500, Mai 3900)

Joey quickly drew his next card with fire in his eyes, saying "Alright, let's see what Joey Wheeler can do! I play Pot of Greed first, allowing me to draw two new cards. Now I play the magic card known as Roll of Fate!" A die then appeared on the field. It was rapidly spinning.

"See, whatever the roll of the die becomes is the number of cards I can draw from my deck, but I must also discard that many cards from my deck as well. So, go Roll of Fate!" The die soon hit the ground, and rolled and rolled till it finally landed on a five.

"Yes, a five! That means I can draw five cards. Next I send five cards from my deck to the Graveyard."

"_What in the world is he up to? That is a dangerous move considering he could lose some important cards due to this card._" pondered Illidan.

"Alright, now I'll play the magic card known as Dark Dragon Ritual! This card allows me to sacrifice my Panther Warrior from my hand in order to summon Knight of Black Dragon (1300/800)." A ritual table then appeared on the field. The panther creature then appeared and was instantly destroyed. Then a new monster, a knight draped in black appeared.

"But I'm not done yet, because as quick as he got here, he's leaving. I can now sacrifice my Knight of Black Dragon in order to special summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) from my deck!" The knight then disappeared and the huge black dragon with red eyes appeared, roaring down at the field.

"Of course, I know he's not too strong yet, but watch as I play the equip magic card Dragon Nails, raising his attack points by 700 points (3100/2000)." Long metallic nails then appeared on the dragon's hands, raising it's strength even more.

"Finally, I'll set one card face down, and then play the magic card known as Quick Attack! This allows my Red-Eyes to attack this turn. Red-Eyes Black Dragon, wipe out Blue-Eyes White Dragon with Inferno Fire Blast!" The black dragon roared, and glared at the white dragon. With all it's fury, the black dragon released a powerful sphere of red and black energy at the white dragon, easily causing the white dragon to moan in pain as it exploded.

"_No, I lost Blue-Eyes! Kaiba is going to kill me for this_." he thought mentally as he also chuckled inwardly.

"I'll end my move." (Illidan 2700, Joey 2000, Marie 18500, Mai 3900)

Marie drew and said "It's time I take down that dragon. I start by summoning The Agent of Wisdom – Mercury (0/1700) in defense mode. Then I play the field card known as Sanctuary of the Sky." A huge stone building then appeared behind Marie. It was an ancient building, for sure. The field then turned blue as clouds appeared as well.

"Shinato, attack Joey's Red-Eyes with Cosmic Halo!" The blue skinned angel held out a palm at the dragon and a disc of energy formed, which whirled directly towards the black dragon.

Moments before it was ready to strike, Joey said "I activate my face down trap known as Metalmorph! Now my Red-Eyes Black Dragon gains 300 additional attack and defense points (3400/2300)! Not to mention he gets a nice new shiny coat of metal armor, transforming him into Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon!" The black dragon roared as it's body was coated in metal instantly. Once fully coated, it's metallic eyes glowed red and it let out a mechanical roar. The disc then struck the dragon, only to be cancelled out.

"Red-Eyes, counter attack with Flash Flare Blast!" The dragon swung it's head side to side and let loose a powerful burst of red energy straight at the blue skinned angel, which destroyed it on the spot as it yelled out in pain.

Sighing, Marie said "Very well Joey, I'll end my move." (Illidan 2700, Joey 2000, Marie 18500, Mai 3900)

Mai drew and smirked, and said "My move. I summon another Amazoness Swords Woman (1500/1600) in attack mode." Another Amazon with wild red hair and a sword then appeared on the field.

"Like my other Amazoness Swords Woman, she gains an additional 300 attack and defense points (1800/1900). I'll place one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 2700, Joey 2000, Marie 18500, Mai 3900)

Illidan drew his next card and sighed at the sight of his Ring of Destruction. Due that life points truly mattered in this duel, he knew he couldn't use it. "I activate Valkyrion the Magna Warrior's special ability. By sacrificing him, I can now special summon my Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors (1400/1700) (1700/1600) (1500/1800) from the Graveyard!" The large monster then began to split apart as the three smaller magnet creatures reappeared on the field.

Mai only laughed, tauntingly saying "Breaking your big warrior into smaller ones won't save you Illidan, or did you not know that already?"

Illidan only smirked and replied with "I guess not, but I'm not done yet. I now sacrifice Alpha and Gamma to summon my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)!" The grey and pink magnet creatures then vanished as a pentagram formed on the field. Slowly, a black armor clad mage with blue skin rose from it. He then opened his haunting yellow cornea eyes with red irises and swung his staff into a fighting stance.

"Thanks to me summoning Dark Magician of Chaos, I can now return one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand, and I choose Harpie's Feather Duster!" Mai and Joey both gasped at the choice of a card Illidan chose.

Smiling at their reaction, he said "Now to put it to good use. I play the magic card Harpie's Feather Duster! Now say good bye to all your magic and trap cards you two!" A huge feather appeared on the field and shot several gusts of wind at Joey and Mai's magic and trap card zones. Instantly, the metal dragon roared as it's metallic coat of paint disappeared, as did it's long metal claws. Mai's face down cards then flipped up and were destroyed. The black dragon was left now as he started out, just a simple black dragon.

In a taunting voice, he said "Looks like you should have gotten a nicer coat of metal and some extra sturdy nails for that dragon, Joey. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack his Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The powerful mage pointed his staff at the dragon and released a powerful sphere of dark energy at the dragon. The dragon howled in pain as it was crushed by the blast. All Joey could do was watch in horror as his dragon completely vanished.

"Thanks to Dark Magician of Chaos's special effect, your dragon is removed from play. Next, thanks to my Deck Master, I can attack again. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady now with Chaos Slice!" The mage turned towards the bird woman with pink hair and made a cutting move with his staff. An energy blade formed from the end of his staff, which raced towards the bird woman. She was easily struck and cried out in pain as the blade totally slashed her in half, causing a massive explosion.

"Now your Cyber Harpie Lady is removed from game. Beta the Magnet Warrior, direct attack Joey's life points with Magnetic Polarity Punch!" The remaining yellow magnet creature zoomed across the field with it's hand pulled back, ready to deliver a punch into Joey.

With only a few feet left, Mai yelled "I move my Amazoness Swords Woman in to defend Joey's life points!" The female warrior quickly moved in and took the blow for Joey, making the magnet creature have to back off.

Illidan only slightly growled out of frustration, thinking "_Those two keep saving one another. I have to get all their monsters off the field or I'll never be able to hit either directly. I only hope Marie can do something on her turn._"

Sighing, he finally said "I'll end my move." (Illidan 2500, Joey 1600, Marie 18500, Mai 3900)

Joey drew and sighed, saying "I'll summon my Alligator's Sword (1500/1200) in defense mode." An alligator warrior with black armor and a sword then appeared in a one knee defensive stance.

"That's it for now, so I end my turn." (Illidan 2500, Joey 1600, Marie 18500, Mai 3900)

Marie drew and said "And it starts my move. First, my Mercury's special effect kicks in. I get to draw one extra card this turn now. Next I'll sacrifice my Goddess of Whim in order to summon my The Agent of Judgment – Saturn (2400/0) in attack mode." A beautiful angel with purple skin and blue wings and in a white and purple dress appeared on the field.

"Now I'm going to finish you off Joey, so watch out. Saturn, attack Joey's Alligator's Sword with Judgment Blast!" The purple skinned fairy held out both her hands and released a blast of purple energy straight at the alligator warrior, which was easily struck and blown way.

"Thanks to that blast, I can now add your gator's attack points to my life points. Hysteric Fairy, direct attack Joey's life points with Fairy Beam!" The blue haired fairy straightened her glasses and let a powerful blast escape her eyes. The beam was on course straight for Joey.

Mai quickly interrupted the attack though, yelling "Amazoness Swords Woman, defend Joey's life points now!" The female warrior was barely able to hold off the fairy's shot, but finally knocked the attack away.

Marie only lightly growled, but soon enough smiled and said "Very well then Mai. Luckily, since my field card is in play, I take no damage. I'll set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 2500, Joey 1600, Marie 20000, Mai 3900)


	87. Chapter 87: Tag Team Gauntlet, Pt 6

**Chapter 87**

Mai drew her next card and smirked at it, saying "I'll start things off by playing Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three new cards, but I must discard two from my hand when I'm done. I send Harpie Lady and Harpie's Pet Dragon to the Graveyard. Next I play my Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards. Next I'll summon my Amazoness Tiger (1100/1500) in attack mode." A mighty orange tiger with one eye closed appeared on the field, with a golden collar around it's neck.

"Now my Deck Master boosts Amazoness Tiger's attack and defense by 300 points (1400/1800). Then Amazoness Tiger's own effect kicks in. For every monster on my side of the field with the name "Amazoness" in it, Amazoness Tiger gains 400 attack points. Since I have three, she gains 1200 points (2600/1800)." The tiger then roared as it's strength went up.

"Amazoness Tiger, attack Illidan's Beta the Magnet Warrior with Amazoness Swipe!" The tiger gracefully bounded across the field and prepared to swipe the yellow magnet creature.

Right before it could sink it's claws in though, Marie called out "Forget about little old me? I hope not, cause if you did, I'm about to remind you. I activate the trap card known as Mirror Wall! This reduces your monster's attack points by half (1300/1800). So say good bye to your tiger!" The graceful tiger smashed right into a glass wall, instantly cutting it's strength in half, causing Mai to gasp at this.

Glad Marie had saved him, he said with a smile "Beta, counter attack with Magnetic Polarity Punch!" The yellow magnet creature quickly dodged the slow moving tiger's swipe and buried it's magnet shaped hand into it's underside, making the tiger roar in pain till it exploded.

Mai only growled in frustration at the loss of her monster and angrily said "Darn you both. I end my move." (Illidan 2500, Joey 1600, Marie 20000, Mai 3500)

Illidan drew his next card and smiled at his second Blade Knight card. "I'll start by placing one card face down. Now I summon Blade Knight (1600/1000) in attack mode." A knight in full white body armor then raised his sword and shield up into an offensive stance.

"Since I have only one card in my hand, his special effect is triggered. He now gains 400 additional attack points (2000/1000). Blade Knight, attack Mai's Amazoness Swords Woman with Silver Blade Strike!" The knight quickly flew across the field and struck the female warrior's sword hard. Slowly, the sword started cracking till it shattered, but the large top of the sword went flying across the field at Illidan, instantly striking him and making him feel slight pain. The female warrior then exploded with one last cry out in pain.

Mai only smiled and said "Since you attacked my Amazoness Swords Woman, her effect kicked in. You take the damage I would have took for the destruction of my monster."

Illidan only flashed a small smile as he put the small pain aside and said "But of course it is. I knew that. Why else do you think I'd send Blade Knight in to fight? He's weaker than Dark Magician of Chaos and stronger than Beta, making him the perfect monster to use in an attack. Now to use my Deck Master's special ability on Blade Knight. Blade Knight, attack her other Amazoness Swords Woman with Silver Blade Strike!" Again the knight quickly crossed the field, and once again the mighty sword that the other Amazon held shattered and the tip struck Illidan, making him grimace with pain again. Still, he let a small smile play upon his lips.

"Now that you're both defenseless, what shall I do? Oh yeah, I know. Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack Mai's life points now with Chaos Slice!" The mage looked at Mai and then held up his scepter. He made a quick downward motion with it, creating a powerful blade of energy. The blade quickly slammed into Mai, knocking her to her knees. She sat there for a minute, gasping for air.

Slowly, she stood up and asked between gasps "Is… that all… you got?"

Illidan mused in his thoughts then. "_Even when she's about to lose, she still has spunk. But who do I go after next. I still have Beta, and I have to finish one of them off, now. If I take out Mai, Joey may make some kind of move on his turn, which is next. If I take out Joey, Mai may try something against Marie. No, I have to take out Joey. It's the better choice. I have no choice but to do it._"

"Beta the Magnet Warrior, direct attack Joey's life points now with Magnetic Polarity Punch!" The yellow magnet creature quickly sped towards Joey, arm back and powered up. Joey only closed his eyes and braced himself as the punch made contact, causing him to slide backwards, but he remained standing. His points quickly dropped to zero and his Duel Disk powered down instantly.

Sighing, he said sadly to Mai "Sorry I couldn't hang in there anymore Mai. I hope you win this round. Either way, good luck to you all." With that, Joey slowly walked off the field.

Illidan then turned his attention back to the duel and said "I end my move." (Illidan 2100, Joey 0, Marie 20000, Mai 700)

Marie began to draw, saying "Since Joey is gone now, I can make my move. First, I draw, and then my Mercury's special effect kicks in, allowing me to draw an extra card. Also, I choose to pay the 2000 life points in order to keep Mirror Wall active. Next I set one card face down, and summon The Forgiving Maiden (850/2000) in defense mode." An older like woman in a black dress and odd hat appeared on the field in a sitting position.

"Hysteric Fairy, direct attack Mai's life points with Fairy Beam!" The blue haired angel looked at Mai and released a beam from her eyes, instantly depleting Mai's life points. Mai took the hit head on, but remained standing as her life points hit zero.

She smiled sadly at the two and said "Good duel you two, and good luck on winning this whole duel."

Both nodded to her as Mai slowly then walked off the field.

The judge then stepped up and said "Illidan and Marie have won this round, thus gaining an additional 1000 life points to their current scores. The last team to enter is Yugi Moto and Marik Ishtar. The order shall be Illidan, then Yugi, then Marie, then finally Marik. Duelists entering, please activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw five new cards. Once you're both done, Illidan, you may begin."

As Yugi stepped onto the field, Yugi's Millennium Puzzle began glowing. With a quick flash, Yami appeared to have taken Yugi's place. The two duelists then took their marks and fired their holo projectors simultaneously. Once they landed and activated, both Duel Disks powered up as they unfolded.

Yami called out "Come forth my Dark Magician (2500/2100)!" A mage in purple robes appeared beside Yami.

Marik quickly said "Reveal yourself my Puppet Master (0/0)!" A horrible looking puppet then appeared beside Marik.

Both then drew their first five cards. Illidan nodded at this and drew his new card.

Realizing he was getting slightly tired from all the action, Illidan knew he had to finish things up fast. "I set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 3100, Yugi 4000, Marie 19000, Marik 4000)

Yami drew and smirked, saying "It's my move, and I start by playing Cost Down, which lowers the level of the monsters in my hand by two. Of course, I must discard to activate this card, so I send Summoned Skull to the Graveyard. Now I summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) in attack mode." A girl wearing a skimpy blue and pink outfit and boots appeared on the field. She winked and then spun around, twirling her small scepter.

"Next my Deck Master increases her attack points by 500 points (2500/1700)." The purple robed mage pointed his staff at the female mage and released a blast of energy at her. She bathed in the energy, gladly accepting it. Once the blast was over, her strength increased and she showed she was ready for a fight.

"Now I set three cards face down, and end my move." (Illidan 3100, Yugi 4000, Marie 19000, Marik 4000)

Marie drew her next card and said "My move and I'll start by drawing. Now thanks to my Mercury's special effect, I draw one extra card. Also, I'll continue to pay 2000 life points for Mirror Wall. Next I'll summon Spirit of the Breeze (0/1800) in attack mode." A green skinned fairy with blue hair and golden wings then appeared on the field in a yellow dress.

"Next I'll set one card face down. That shall end my move." (Illidan 3100, Yugi 4000, Marie 17000, Marik 4000)

Marik quickly drew his next card and said "I first summon Revival Jam (1500/500) in defense mode." The small blue plasma monster appeared on the field in a defensive stance.

"Next I'll play the magic card known as Masked Doll. Now I can't be charged for the cost of life points for my own cards. I'll next set two cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 3100, Yugi 4000, Marie 17000, Marik 4000)

Illidan slowly drew his next card and scanned the field. "_Yami has three face down cards, while Marik had two face down cards. Marik only has a weaker Revival Jam to block, but it can automatically revive itself. I bet he has Jam Defender as one of the face down cards though._"

After a moment longer, Illidan finally made a decision on what to do. "_I'm going after Marik. His Winged Dragon of Ra is far more dangerous than Yami's Slifer the Sky Dragon. Now to take down Revival Jam and I know exactly how._"

Smiling, he said "I first set one monster in defense, and then switch Beta the Magnet Warrior to defense mode." The yellow magnet creature then crossed its arms and took a defensive stance.

"Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Marik's Revival Jam with Chaos Slice!" The mage raised his staff and pointed it straight at the blue plasma monster. In a simple motion, he made a sweeping motion that created an energy blade, which struck the plasma monster head on, making it explode and not leaving a trace of it on the field.

Marik lightly growled at this as Illidan said "Since I used Dark Magician of Chaos, your monster was removed from play. Now I invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack Marik's life points with Chaos Slice!" Raising his staff once more, the mage pointed directly at Marik. He made a sweeping motion, causing a blade of energy to fly straight at Marik.

Marik only smirked at this and said "Not this time Illidan, for I activate the trap card known as Mirror Force, thus destroying your monsters. Say good bye to your favorite monster!" As the wall of multicolored glass raised in front of Marik, but Marie only let out a giggle.

She then said "Sorry to do this to you Marik, but that's not going to work this time. I activate my trap card, Seven Tools of the Bandit! I pay 1000 life points in order to use this trap, which in turn negates your trap card." A Swiss Army knife then appeared and began taking apart the mirrored wall. Finally, the whole wall shattered, leaving Marik wide open. Marik only looked on in shock as the attack came hurtling towards him.

Yami quickly yelled "I'll save you Marik by sending my Dark Magician Girl in to block the attack." The female mage quickly leapt in front of Marik, preparing to block the oncoming attack.

Slightly shocked at this, Illidan said "That was rather foolish Yami, because you'll be wide open in a second."

Smirking, Yami replied "Not really Illidan, because I now activate the magic card known as Magical Hats, hiding my Dark Magician Girl! Now you'll have to guess which hat she's under to attack Marik or me." A hat then materialized over top of the female mage and it then lowered on top of her. Four hats then came from the one, making four new targets. The blade of energy was quickly canceled out as it's target disappeared.

Slightly growling, Illidan said "Dark Magician of Chaos, aim for the second one to the left." The mage flung out another energy blade which struck the hat, slicing it in half, but nothing appeared to be under the hat.

Thinking strategically, Illidan decided to try again with his other monster. "Blade Knight, attack the hat in the middle with Silver Blade Strike!" The knight quickly leapt into action and slashed the middle hat in half, only to reveal another empty hat.

Growling with frustration, Illidan sighed finally and said "I'll have to end my move now." (Illidan 3100, Yugi 4000, Marie 17000, Marik 4000)

Yami drew his next card and said with a smirk "Now that your turn ends, I return the two remaining Magical Hats to my side of the field. I'll now play Monster Reborn, resurrecting my Summoned Skull (2500/1200)!" A powerful monster that looked like bones and a deep hade of pink muscle only made it's appearance on the field. It growled and showed it had an electrical charge within its body.

"That shall end my turn." (Illidan 3700, Yugi 4000, Marie 17000, Marik 4000)

Marie drew her next card and smiled at it. "My move, and first in my Standby Phase, thanks to my Mercury, I get to draw yet another card. Also, I pay the 2000 life points for Mirror Wall. Also, I gain 1000 life points thanks to my Spirit of the Breeze's effect. As long as she's in attack mode, I gain life points. Now to end this duel, once and for all. I activate my Saturn's special effect. By sacrificing her, I can now do damage to both your life points by the difference of my life points and both of your life points. So, 16000-4000 each is equal to 12000 points worth of damage to each of you. Saturn, finish this with Ring of Judgment!"

The purple angel began glowing with power. She continued to glow brighter and brighter as she powered up, growing stronger by the moment as well. At last, she let loose a powerful wave of energy that in a way looked like a ring. The ring hit Marik first, instantly knocking him ground as he cried out in pain. His life points dropped to zero quickly as his Duel disk powered down.

The ring continued on towards Yami, who only smirked. He stood his ground and yelled "I reveal my face down card known as Barrel Behind the Door! This trap takes the damage I'd receive and sends it flying right back at your life points! Say good by to a huge chuck of your life points!" The ring hit a barrier suddenly, and was repelled. The ring was flung hard back at Marie, who screamed in pain as the blast struck her hard. She was knocked into the air and into the back wall of the tower, and fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

Shocked at this, Illidan screamed "NOOO, MARIEEE!"

Marie only laid there, making no movement at all. Illidan began to run towards her when suddenly the judge yelled "You must not leave your position! Do and you'll be disqualified."

With anger seething in his eyes, he glared at the judge. He didn't want to lose, but at the same time, he couldn't just stand there and watch Marie suffer. Marik at this time, slowly stirred and slowly stood up. With difficulty, he limped over to Marie to check on her. Slowly, he rolled her over, checking her vitals and to see if any blood could be seen, but was satisfied that everything was fine.

He weakly said "She's only knocked out, I think. She's still breathing and a nasty bump on her head. We should stop to let her recover…"

"No, the duel must continue till there are Tag Team Champions." came out a commanding voice.

Everyone looked over to see that Gozaburo himself had said this.

Illidan glared at him, anger seething in his eyes, and he spat out "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT WHEN SHE'S HURT LIKE THIS! WE SHOULD STOP AND FINISH LATER, NOT LET HER SUFFER!" He was beyond furious that Gozaburo would even consider letting Marie suffer like she was.

"If you don't want her to suffer, then give up Illidan. Just surrender so that Marik and Yami are declared the winners. It's that easy." Gozaburo said back evilly. He only gave Illidan a smirk that made him much angrier.

Growling, Illidan thought "_I swear, if he forces us to continue, I'll make him pay for letting her lie there hurt. I swear he will!_"

Illidan gave a worried look over to Marie's unconscious body. Sweat was forming on his brow at the sight of her form. "_If I quit, I throw away everything we worked for today and the last nine days. I can't quit now. As bad as I hate to, I can't. But still, I can't allow her to lay there hurt either. No, these titles aren't worth sacrificing Marie's health. I'll just surrender, then I can take her to the infirmary, or have Bakura heal her._"

With his eyes closed, he moved his Duel Disk out in front of him. Slowly, he raised his other hand, preparing to cover his Duel Disk with it, which signified surrender. Feeling deep regret, he only thought "_I hate to, but I have no choice. I'm so sorry Marie._"


	88. Chapter 88: Tag Team Gauntlet, Pt 7

**Chapter 88**

"Don't … you … dare…" called out a raspy voice.

Illidan's thoughts were suddenly broken by the voice. He looked over, shocked at the sight he saw. There stood Marie, leaning heavily on Marik for support. She was shaking, and had a glazed eye look.

Slowly, she spoke, almost as if it took all she had to say the simple words. "We've … come too … far … to … quit … n…"

She suddenly passed out yet again and fell back into Marik. He calmly said "She's definitely knocked out now Illidan. I'll take care of her till you're done if you like. I'll take her to Bakura. He'll heal her for you."

Illidan slowly nodded. His eyes were filled with great concern, yet great sadness as well.

In his throne, Gozaburo smiled, pleased to see Illidan in such pain. "_That fool will feel much more pain soon enough, muwhahaha!_"

Slowly, Illidan tried to return his focus to the duel still going on. Still, his thoughts were centered on Marie. "_I hope she'll be alright. If anything happens, I swear I'll make Gozaburo pay for it._"

The judge cleared his throat and said "Since Marie is unable to continue, she is disqualified for this round. This means only one member of each team now remains. Duelists, please continue. Since Marie's turn is now over, Illidan's turn begins. Continue now!"

Illidan looked up at Yami, whose sad eyes told the whole story. "_This isn't really his fault. He didn't know his trap would have such devastating effects on her._"

As kindly and sympathetically as he could, Illidan said "It's alright Yami. You didn't know your trap would do that kind of damage to her physically. None of us did."

Yami only looked at Illidan with his sad eyes to see Illidan's eyes were filled with concern and sadness as well, but he saw Illidan was trying to help comfort him. He nodded slightly, accepting Illidan's words.

Realizing he needed to quickly rap up the duel, Illidan drew and said "I play the magic card Heavy Storm, destroying all magic and trap cards on the field. That means even my cards are gone." A powerful storm blew up, instantly destroying Illidan's face down and Yugi's remaining face down.

"I now switch Beta the Magnet Warrior into attack mode." The yellow magnet creature then stood back up straight.

"Next I'll flip summon my face down Slate Warrior (1900/400). Since I flip summoned him, he gains an additional 500 points (2400/900)." A blue fiend with gold armor then appeared with a large halberd on his back.

"Slate Warrior, attack the Magical Hat on the left with Fiend Slash!" The blue fiend quickly slashed the hat in half with his halberd, causing a small explosion. Nothing appeared out of the hat. The final hat then exploded as the female mage reappeared from it and said "Ta-daa."

"As I thought, empty. That means her cover is now blown. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Dark Magician Girl with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The powerful mage pointed his scepter at the girl and released a blast of dark energy, which easily struck the young girl down.

"Now I use my Deck Master's special ability. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack his Summoned Skull with Chaos Slice!" Once again, the mage raised his staff. He pointed it at the fiend creature and made a downward sweeping motion, sending an energy blade at the fiend monster. He was slashed in half by the blast, and exploded shortly afterwards.

"Blade Knight and Beta, finish this duel by direct attacking together!" The white knight slashed Yami with his sword, causing Yami to slide backwards slightly. The yellow magnet warrior quickly followed up with a punch to Yami's gut, making him wince with pain, but he still remained standing. Yami's life points dropped to zero instantly, automatically shutting down his Duel Disk. With that, Illidan's Duel Disk powered down as well.

With a smile, the judge said "The winner of the Tag Team Gauntlet match, and still champions, Illidan and Marie!"

Gozaburo mockingly clapped his hands for Illidan, who turned towards Gozaburo with hate filled eyes. A fire of rage filled his eyes, one that showed he had great hatred for this man. "_If it wasn't for the fact I need to hurry to Marie's side now, I'd tell that fool where to go with his clapping._"

Illidan rushed over to check on Yami before leaving. Yami was still standing after all the attacks and was staring at the ground. Tears had formed after the duel was over. He looked up at Illidan with tears running down his cheeks, saying "I'm sorry…"

Seeing the deep regret on his friends face, Illidan put a hand on Yami's shoulder and said "Yami, it's alright. I know you didn't mean to hurt her at all. Don't worry about it. She'll be fine. Now, come on, let's go check on her."

Yami brought his sleeve up to his face and wiped the tears away, and then nodded. Together, the pair ran to the stands where Bakura still hovered over Marie. He was concentrating hard on his Millennium Ring, which glowed brilliantly.

Illidan quickly went to Marie's side, taking hold of her hand with is own. The others only silently waited for Bakura to finish. Finally, he stopped the healing process and nearly fell over. Joey caught him and helped steady him back out though.

After taking a deep breath, he said "That took a lot more out of me than I thought it would."

He wiped the sweat off his face , showing he was truly exhausted from healing her.

Curious, Illidan asked with full concern in his voice "So, how is she, Bakura?"

He sighed and said "I've done all I can do for her for now Illidan. She has a nasty bump on her head, but my healing power pushed it back down. She just needs to rest. Best thing for her to do now is to rest and recover. If she needs any medicine or is in pain when she wakes up, I maybe able to heal her again with my ring. Otherwise, there is nothing else any of us can do for now."

Illidan only silently nodded and leaned over her. Slowly, he gathered Marie up in his arms and picked her up in bridal fashion. Without another word, he walked over towards the elevator that would take them back down to the living quarters.

The doors opened upon his standing in front of them. He slowly walked in and pressed the button for the living quarter's floor. It was rather difficult for him to press the button and hold Marie as well, but he managed finally. Once on the quarter's floor, he walked to her room. He opened the door and took her to her bed and gently set her down on it.

He took her Duel Disk off her arm and set it on the coffee table where she normally had it sitting. Grabbing a blanket that was nearby, he spread it on her, slowly tucking her in. He grabbed a chair and moved it beside her bed and sat down.

It was only 9:00 P.M., so he figured she'd be out at least an hour or two. Illidan sat and patiently waited on her to awaken, not once closing his eyes to sleep.

Around 4:00 A.M., Marie finally awoke to see a pair of sad brown eyes staring at her. Realizing she was awake, he took her hand and asked "Marie, are you alright?"

She slightly nodded and replied with "Yes, I am. What time is it?"

Glancing over at the clock on the wall, he replied "It's four in the morning. Gee, you sure sleep a long time."

Both lightly chuckled at his comment, and she asked "Have you been waiting for me to wake up all this time?"

Illidan only smiled and kissed her hand, saying "Yes, I have. I didn't want you to wake up alone and not know where you were. Besides, I was too concerned to sleep anyways."

She saw the love in his eyes as he said that, and slightly smiled at his comment. She then said "You really shouldn't have. You'll be exhausted tomorrow before you even begin. Go get some sleep before it's too late."

Illidan only smiled inwardly, thinking "_Even after taking a shot like she did, she's still more concerned about me than herself._"

Smiling at her, he replied "You should take your own advice as well. Get some more sleep Marie. You need to recover your strength."

She nodded and pulled the blankets on up around her neck. He placed a kiss on her forehead and then one on her lips. It was a gentle kiss, more of a chastising kiss than anything.

After pulling away, he said "Good night Marie."

He quietly left her room and walked to his room in silence. Once he arrived, he felt something was amiss. Soon, he realized what it was. There in his room was Gozaburo on his couch, who was only grinning evilly at Illidan.

Growling with anger, Illidan raised a mental shield and started summoning up his power from the Millennium Key. Gozaburo only smirked at this and said calmly "I see you're back finally. How is Marie doing?"

Illidan only glared at him, anger rekindling in his eyes, and in a rough voice, yelled "You dare to ask me that! After you saw how she was suffering, you dare to ask me! Get out!"

Gozaburo only smirked, followed by an evil chuckle. He soon asked "What's wrong Illidan? Where is the kindness you were so famous for?"

Illidan was infuriated by Gozaburo now. He grabbed his Millennium Key and prepared to fire a blast of Shadow Magic at Gozaburo when he suddenly realized what he was doing. "_No! I can't. My item doesn't have enough power for this. He is toying with me. He could stop me in my tracks with just a slight twitch of his nose. No, I'll not do something out of anger._"

Calming down, he lowered his key back down. Gozaburo laughed, saying "Can't do it, can you? I don't blame you, seeing how terrified you are of my power."

He only laughed manically at Illidan, but saw he couldn't get Illidan to grow angry again or to fight him. Seeing this, he rose and walked for the door, saying "I see that calm and coolness you've always had has returned. I see no need in staying here any longer. Just remember, if you make it to the end, I'll be waiting, and you'll truly suffer then. You'll suffer slowly and painfully through that duel my friend. That I guarantee."

Illidan only glared at Gozaburo. Gozaburo slowly started to leave, and just as he passed by Illidan, Illidan said "Leave the others out of this. It's me you want, not them. If you want me, then fight me. Just leave the others out of this."

Gozaburo stopped dead in his tracks. Their backs were to one another. Gozaburo only lightly chuckled and said "You think I'll actually let them go free? You're a fool! Each will suffer due to what you did to the Gozaburo of the past. No one will be spared! No one…"

He then continued to walk on out of the room, but Illidan turned and said in a voice of steel "Gozaburo! Leave them out of it! They had nothing to do with you back then. I know you're truly the reincarnation of your past form, so you have those memories. You know the good things they did for you back then. Let the bad go, and remember the good. It's not too late to turn away from the evil of the Millennium Crown!"

Gozaburo only laughed like a madman once again and replied "You're such a fool, Illidan Stormrage! You actually believe I'm the reincarnation of that ancient fool. You're wrong, cause I'm not. I may have his memories, but I'm not him. And no, it is too late for them, cause their fate was sealed the minute they stepped foot on my island. **All** of their fates…"

Illidan only cringed due that he put emphasis on the word "all." Sighing, he said in a humbling voice "Spare Marie at the least. She shouldn't have to suffer this fate. I will give you whatever you want if you spare her at the least. Do that, and I'll submit to you."

Gozaburo only laughed more maniacally than ever. He beat his hand on the door, laughing so hard. He turned and said "You're such a fool! She will suffer just as the others will! And you will suffer the worst Illidan, cause it is you that caused their suffering. So beg all you want, but my mind is made up. Good night!"

With that, Gozaburo turned and walked out of Illidan's room. He slammed the door hard on the way out, making a loud banging noise.

Illidan only stood there, with millions of thoughts running through his mind. "_No, the others… What am I going to do now? If I win this tournament, they'll be in danger. If I lose, they'll be in danger. Grr, what am I to do?_"

Suddenly a voice in his mind, or possibly his Millennium Key, said "Trust yourself Illidan. That is your greatest strength. They are depending on you, and you know that you must and will succeed."

He only closed his eyes, knowing that it was true what the voice said. Slowly, he readied himself for bed. Time he finally got into bed, it was already 5:00 A.M. He set his clock for 7:00 A.M. and then drifted off to sleep.


	89. Chapter 89: Ante Up

**Hello once more everyone. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the Tag Team Gauntlet. I think it turned out better than I originally thought back when I wrote it, for I was uncertain if I could do a gauntlet or not, but I did figure it out finally. At any rate, time to answer some reviews.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Lol, yeah, she seems unlucky with that monster. She's just unlucky due that it's mostly been against Yami when it's happened.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, kind of a deju vu. I never realized it, but it is sort of like that. Lol, he's like the real life Illidan, which is rather tired, hehe.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, it does sort of remind me of Battle City now that you mention it, but not entirely. Gozaburo has enough decency to go make house calls, rather than just barge in, lol. Yeah, the past three were meant to be released in a way that I left you all with a major cliff hanger on the middle chapter, but that didn't work out, but oh well. As for news on _The History of the Millennium Items_, my fiancé is kind of busy. She's preparing to move so she can start work, so it's been hectic, so no time to write, sadly. She did pass along some good news though that she has ideas for the next chapter, so it'll come up soon, hopefully.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, she's taken a good bit of abuse, and mostly due to Illidan or Yami. Hmm, I sense a pattern, lol. Unbalanced you say? How so, lol. As for him being the only player or not, we'll see, hehe. Could someone be behind the scenes and orchestrating something bigger? We'll see, or maybe it's just me being evil and screwing with everyone, lol. The Dragon Knight card was actually from the show. I got it from Joey's duel with Mai in the Seal series. I'm sure as you've noticed I borrowed quite a few cards from that section of the show, as well as Battle City. I believe the Seal series was on when I was at this stage of the story, which is why you see many of those cards. Pretty much, that Dragon Knight card works like Paladin of White Dragon, except you get a Red-Eyes Black Dragon instead of Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I'll try to check out your story tonight btw. Hopefully I'll get to it.**

**pink-kiss-candy: LOL! Watches Ryou running away. Ryou: "Someone save me!" Smacks him in the head with the baseball bat, instantly knocking him out. That help?**

**Well, that was fun, hehe. Btw, I do have some news. Anyone who happens to like Inuyasha will be interested as well. I'm going to do a one-shot on Inuyasha, mostly due that I got an idea from a song I listened to that kind of describes him and Kagome's relationship. It'll be titled _Why is it?_ I started work on it last night, but stupid computer deleted it due to an error I had when installing Yim. Grumbles about installing Yim. I've tried installing it three times already, and all three times, I get the same problem at the end. Sighs**

**At any rate, that's all I have for now. I would talk more about what's going on, but I just don't feel like it at the moment. Anyways, till tomorrow, enjoy.**

**Chapter 89**

About 6 A.M., Illidan abruptly woke up. He sat up with sweat dripping off his face and body as he shook. "_It was that vision again. It was the one where Marie is stabbed by Gozaburo. Why am I constantly reminded about that by my Millennium Key?_"

He glared down at the key, seeing that it was still glowing. "What are you trying to show me?" he cried out.

The key only continued to glow. Illidan's eyes narrowed as he grabbed it and brought it up to his face, staring into the glow. "Answer me! I want to know why you haunt my dreams with this cursed memory!" he demanded.

As before, the key only continued to glow. "Yeah, be silent. Just you wait till I figure it out. Then I'll break you off in a door!" he threatened.

Illidan smiled at his threat and realized he wouldn't get any more sleep that morning. Sighing, he got up and started towards the bathroom. The day before had drained him physically and mentally. His duel with Yami had taken more of a toll on his body and mind than he cared to admit, and the Tag Team Gauntlet Match had just worn him down further. Not to mention, he had stayed up till four in the morning watching over Marie, not once ever falling asleep. His body ached from the lack of sleep, but he knew he had to press on.

At last, he entered the bathroom and took a quick shower. Normally a shower would wake him up, but it didn't help this time. Once he had dressed and took care of his hair, he made his way to the refrigerator and decided to see if he could find anything to drink. There he found the perfect things to wake him up. In there he saw some energy drinks, so he grabbed three. One was Element Dragon Fruit, which always seemed to wake him up, another was Amp, and the last was Frappachino.

Deciding on eating something other than his usual breakfast, he grabbed some Cinnamon Toast Crunch, one of his favorite cereals. Once he had a full bowl and had the milk on it, he went to the table where he had set his energy drinks. He quickly devoured his cereal and then began chugging the three energy drinks. Of course, he had to drink the Frappachino first, seeing how it was like drinking cold coffee. After that, he had the Amp, and topped off with the Element.

Sighing happily, he said aloud "That was good."

Once placing his bowl in the sink and his empty bottles into the trash, he went to the computer to check on who was dueling who for the day. Sure enough, as he suspected since it was the tenth day of dueling, he was set to duel Joey Wheeler.

Slowly, Illidan tried to remember all the previous duels he had had with Joey. Each duel, Joey had thrown something new at him. The night before, Illidan had seen a few cards he'd never saw Joey play in fact. Illidan only pondered just how strong Joey would be for this day as well. "_Knowing Joey, it'll be a real tight duel, and it'll go down to the wire with us. I just have to be ready for anything he does._"

Illidan glanced at the clock right quick to see it was 7 A.M. He decided to read for a while now, hoping it would calm his mind. He went to a fan fiction site that Marie had shown him and read a fan fiction that she had told him about. It was called **Opposite Ends**. This fan fiction was about one of his favorite anime's, which happened to be **Inuyasha**. He read for a while, just enjoying himself.

Basically, the plot was that Kagome, a girl from the future who found her way back to the past, was really the reincarnation of a priestess. "_How ironic that I'd read about someone that was reincarnated._" mused Illidan silently.

She had met a half dog demon named Inuyasha back in the past, who happened to have been in love with her previous incarnation named Kikyou, and slowly was falling in love with Kagome. "_Yes, very ironic._" he thought yet again.

They eventually teamed up with a perverted monk named Miroku, a demon slayer named Sango and her pet cat demon, and a fox demon child named Shippou. In this fan fiction, Kagome was transformed into a half demon, and the group was setting out to find a cure. Only problem was Inuyasha's demon side was strongly attracted to the now half demon Kagome. It was a rather hilarious fan fiction, but a decently long one as well.

Illidan could only laugh because he sometimes pretended to be a half demon when he and Marie were on an internet forum. She would be his school girl, which made Illidan feel pretty good. "_Unlike Inuyasha, I'm not afraid I love her._" he mused yet again.

It was a humorous game they played quite often on the site. A few others joined in the acting. There was Freed the clown, Randy the vampire with his secretary Sky, then Tela the vampire who Randy created by biting her, and others. It was all fun and games for the group. Of course, none of them lived close to one another, but it was all fun.

Illidan suddenly broke out of his gaze of the computer screen and realized he'd be day dreaming about all the fun times him and Marie had had on the site. He checked the time, and realized it was close enough. It was 7:30 already, and he had yet to check his deck. He logged off the computer and went over to run through his deck.

After a quick look, he was satisfied and set his deck in his deck holder. He then strapped on his Duel Disk and headed for the elevator.

Along the way, he met Shadi, who appeared to have starlight eyes. Illidan only glanced at his friend and laughed, saying "She's already got you whipped, doesn't she?"

Shadi popped out of his dream and realized Illidan had said he was whipped. "I'm not whipped. You're the whipped one as I remember." he commented back.

Illidan only chuckled and replied with "At least I admit it!"

Shadi only laughed at his friend and continued on his way. Illidan went his own way as well and soon came to the elevator, and was on time for once in a great blue moon.

The judge just stood there shocked that Illidan was there at all. "Wow, you actually made it on time for once. This is rather odd." commented the judge.

Illidan only nodded, and sarcastically replied with "Yep, I'm that way sometimes."

The two then waited for Joey. About three minutes before they had to go, he came running down the hall, screaming "WAIT FOR ME! WAIT FOR ME!"

He got there, completely out of breath and leaned over, hands on his knees for support. After panting for a minute, he said "I'm ready. Sorry I'm late, but I had to say good bye to someone."

Illidan only smirked and slyly thought "_I bet it was Mai and instead of good bye, it was more like a passionate kiss that lasted a little too long._"

He then noticed a small bit of lipstick on Joey's lips and commented "Yeah, saying good bye with your lips aren't you Joey?"

Joey looked at Illidan puzzled, saying with a small stutter "Wh… what do you mean?"

Illidan only chuckled and said "You have lipstick on your lips. I do believe that's Mai's shade."

Joey suddenly realized it was still on and he was busted. He quickly rubbed it off, making the judge only sigh and shake his head. He then led the two into the elevator and they quickly headed for the top.

On the way up, Illidan closed his eyes, trying to remember their previous duel. Joey had fought so hard throughout the duel. He had even had Illidan backed into a corner a few times. Illidan had fought with all he had and had won the duel, but it was still close. This time it would be another tough and brutal duel, yet Illidan looked forward to it. "_He pushed me to my limits and beyond last time. I think this time he'll do the same again._" Illidan thought in hopefulness.

Illidan opened his eyes once again and glanced over at Joey. Joey had a look of pure determination on his face.

They finally arrived at the top and exited the elevator. Everyone was already there in the stands. Even Gozaburo sat in his throne, eager to watch. Once in the center of the ring, the judge began his normal speech.

"This is the tenth day of dueling. This duel was set up due to several other matches to determine the number one contender for the Intercontinental and World Championships. Both matches were won by Mr. Wheeler, thus making him the number one contender. Duelists, please step forward and exchange decks. Then shuffle and return your opponents deck, then shake hands."

Illidan and Joey both complied and handed one another their decks. Once Illidan and Joey finally both deemed their decks shuffled enough, they handed one another their decks back. They then each extended their hands and shook.

Joey had a look of pure determination on his face, but Illidan had the same look. Both wanted to win. This was for pride, as well as the right to call themselves the best in the world.

Smiling genuinely, Joey said "Good luck today, Illidan."

Returning a genuine smile, Illidan replied "Good luck to you today also, Joey."

Finally, both released their handshake, and the judge said "Duelists, go to your positions and wait for my signal."

Both complied with the judge. Each reached their marks, knowing that this was it. The duel that both wanted to find out who was the best in.

The judge then spoke up again, saying "Now, both of you activate your Duel Disks. The tower's holo projectors are now working, so no need to fire your Duel Disk's projectors. Then bring out your Deck Masters, and draw your first five cards. Illidan shall go first due that he is the current champion."

Both nodded and then activated their Duel Disks, which unfolded and lit up.

Joey took a deep breath and said "I'll bring out my Flame Swordsman (1800/1600)." The powerful orange and blue armored swordsman appeared, swinging his sword wildly with flames flying off of it. When he finished swinging it, he placed it on his back.

Taking a deep breath himself, Illidan said "I call you forth, my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)." The strong soldier in black armor appeared with his sword and shield in hand as always. His armor was so shiny in the early morning light.

Both then drew their cards and cried out "Let's Duel!"


	90. Chapter 90: All on the Line, Pt 1

**Hello once more everyone. Gee, I'm tired. I stayed up till 3 A.M. last night playing Fantastic Four for PS2. I am just pooped, lol. Oh well, I know someone who will make it all better today when I see her, hehe. At any rate, there is only one review due that I posted so late last night, so I'll go ahead and answer, then post a chapter.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, interesting isn't the half of it. Btw, the little games were actually what me and my fiancé used to do a good bit. That was till the site had everyone kind of disappear from it, lol. As for the ten-way duel, nah, it's got some time. After all, it's ten days of dueling, plus the final ten-way duel. This day is kind of a wrap up day, like Gozaburo's last chance to take Illidan out day, lol. Actually, about Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, I'm unsure if it was out at that time or not. I think it was, so I may have used it. Looks right quick. Nah, I don't think I did. I stuck with good old regular Red-Eyes. Thanks for the suggestion though.**

**Well, that's about all I have for now. I'm about to take off and go see my fiancé. Happily sighs I can't wait to see her. I've got the next two days off, and I get to spend both of them with her. It could only be better if I didn't have to leave her over night, but I know that's not possible, yet. At any rate, I'm out for the day, so later.**

**Chapter 90**

Illidan drew his first card and then looked at his hand. He had his Breaker the Magical Warrior, Witch of the Black Forest, Thunder Nyan Nyan, Ring of Destruction, and Mirror Force in his hand. He'd just drawn Mystical Space Typhoon.

Knowing he had the cards to get the job done, Illidan said "I'll start things off by summoning my Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode." A woman with red hair and dressed in a leopard print leotard appeared on the field. A set of drums appeared in front of her and she pulled out a pair of drumsticks and began bashing the drums.

"Next I'll set 2 cards face down. That ends my move." (Illidan 8000, Joey 8000)

Joey drew his card, saying "Good, cause it's my move now. Watch as I summon my Panther Warrior (2000/1500) in attack mode." A powerful panther creature with a green cape and black armor then roared onto the field. It held a shield and a sword in hand each.

"Next I'll set two cards face down as well. That ends my move…"

Before Joey could finish, Illidan said "Not quite! I activate my face down magic card called Mystical Space Typhoon! Now I get to destroy one magic/trap card on the field, and I'll choose your card on the left!" A typhoon then appeared and slammed into the face down card, revealing it to be Kunai with Chain.

Growling lightly, Joey then grinned and replied with "Oh well, no worries. I still end my move." (Illidan 8000, Joey 8000)

"_He couldn't attack due that he needed a sacrifice for his panther. That is a good thing, I guess. I just wonder what he set._" thought Illidan curiously.

He finally shook off his thoughts and drew. Smiling at the card he had, he said "I'll sacrifice my Thunder Nyan Nyan to summon Jinzo (2400/1500)!" The drummer monster disappeared in a flash of light and the cyborg in green and black then appeared on the field, crossing his arms in classic style.

"Now that all our trap cards are useless, it's time for an attack. Jinzo, attack his Panther Warrior with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg gathered up a ball of black energy in his two hands and tossed it at the panther. It roared as the blast hit it hard, but was destroyed soon enough.

"Thanks to that move, my Deck Master now allows me to hit you again. Jinzo, attack Joey directly with Cyber Energy Shock!" The cyborg this time raised his palm to face Joey and released a blast of dark energy like before.

Moments before the blast struck, Joey said "I reveal my face down Scapegoat magic card. Now I can special summon four Scapegoat Tokens (0/0) in defense mode." Four little goat like creatures then appeared in front of Joey, which simply blocked the way to Joey.

Sighing, Illidan said "I figured as much. Jinzo, take out a goat with your attack!" The attack continued on and struck the blue goat, instantly vaporizing it.

"I'll end my move." (Illidan 8000, Joey 7600)

Joey drew with a smile and said "Now you'll pay for taking down my Panther Warrior. Watch as I play the magic card known as Star Blaster!" A little masked sprite like creature appeared on the field. He held a blue die in his hands. "I sacrifice a Scapegoat Token to use this card. Now roll!" The little sprite threw the die, which began to roll along on the ground.

"Whatever the result of the die is, I get to add one to. Then the result is the level of the monster I can special summon from my hand!" About then, the die started to slow. It about landed on a one, but then it flipped over onto a five.

"Bulls eye baby! Now I can summon a level six monster, and the monster I'll choose is my Jinzo (2400/1500)!" Another cyborg with green and black clothes then appeared on the field. Like his counterpart, he crossed his arms in traditional style.

"Like looking in a mirror, isn't it Illidan?" asked Joey.

Illidan smiled slightly, saying "Yeah, I guess so."

"I'm done now, so I end my move." (Illidan 8000, Joey 7600)

Illidan drew his next card and looked in amazement. It was his Slate Warrior. Smirking, Illidan said "I'll summon my Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode." The blue faced fiend with golden armor appeared. He placed one hand on the hilt of his large halberd, seemingly ready for battle. Joey only looked confused at Illidan's move for the moment.

"Slate Warrior, attack his Scapegoat Token with Fiend Slash!" The huge blue fiend quickly jumped into action by pulling his halberd off his back. As soon as he was close enough to the red goat creature, he swung his sword, slashing the goat in half and causing it to explode.

"Since Slate Warrior succeeded, I can now attack again due to my Deck Master's ability. Slate Warrior, your next target is…" Illidan then pointed his finger at Joey's Jinzo. "… Jinzo!"

Joey only laughed at Illidan, saying "You must be going blind or something Illidan, because my Jinzo has 2400 attack points, while your Slate Warrior has a meager 1900. There is no way he'll take Jinzo down."

Smirking, Illidan said "We'll see. Attack Jinzo now with Fiend Slash!" The blue fiend launched himself into the air and prepared to slash the cyborg. He slashed at the cyborg, who only evaded easily. The cyborg's eyes then lit up and fired a laser from the two eyes, easily striking the fiend monster. As the fiend was falling backwards, he threw his halberd at the cyborg, grazing it's right shoulder and doing damage to it.

Shocked at what he saw, Joey yelled "Hey, what did your monster do to Jinzo?"

Illidan only chuckled and said "You see, when Slate Warrior is destroyed by a monster, he lowers that monsters attack and defense points by 500. Since it was your Jinzo he battled, he weakened it (1900/1000). That makes it weak enough for my Jinzo to now take it out. Jinzo, attack with Cyber Energy Shock!" The full powered cyborg stretched it's palm out and sent a blast of energy flying at the weakened cyborg, which was easy pickings for the fully powered one. The weakened one moaned as it was struck and finally exploded into scrap metal.

"It was a small sacrifice on both sides I'd say Joey. We both lost 500 life points. Now I end my move." (Illidan 7500, Joey 7100)

Joey only growled in frustration at the last move. He drew and smiled, saying "You'll pay for destroying my Jinzo right now. First I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards! Now I'll summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode." A powerful black armored knight then appeared. His black armor gleamed in the morning sunlight.

"Next I play the magic card Release Restraint! This allows me to sacrifice Gearfried the Iron Knight for Gearfried the Swordmaster (2600/2300) in attack mode!" Suddenly, the black armor of the knight glowed and then the armor exploded, causing a bright light to form. From the blinding light appeared a warrior with long black hair and loose clothing. He opened his eyes and yelled out a call of battle.

"Now Gearfried, avenge Jinzo by attacking Illidan's Jinzo with Power Fist!" The warrior let out a battle cry and charged the cyborg. He instantly punched the powerful cyborg in the gut, making it double over in pain before it exploded.

"I'll end my move." (Illidan 7300, Joey 7100)

Illidan drew his next card and examined his strategy. "_Hmm, I have Mirror Force still down, so I'll be fine for now. I have Ring of Destruction also, but I'll save it. I'd hate to blow away his monster this early. I guess I'll just play Witch of the Black Forest and hope he takes the bait._"

"I'll summon Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in attack mode." A woman in black robes with purple hair then appeared on the field.

"Witch of the Black Forest, attack his last Scapegoat Token with Black Magic Blast!" Raising her arms, the witch threw a blast of black energy at the little pink goat. The blast instantly vaporized the poor creature.

"That'll end my move." (Illidan 7300, Joey 7100)

Joey drew and said with confidence "You left yourself wide open Illidan. Now you'll pay for it. Gearfried, attack Illidan's Witch of the Black Forest with Power Fist!" The warrior quickly charged across the field and prepared to punch the weaker purple haired woman.

He wasn't far away when Illidan smirked and hit a button his Duel Disk to reveal a card. "I reveal my face down trap Mirror Force. Say good bye to your Gearfried the Swordmaster!"

Shocked, Joey yelled "OH NOOO!"

A wall of multicolored glass appeared in front of the warrior. The warrior ignored it and punched it, but howled in pain as he was destroyed instead.

Joey only growled at his mistake and said "I'll set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 7300, Joey 7100)

Illidan drew his next card and said "I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards." Illidan quickly drew his two new cards and flashed a big smile. "_Perfect! It's Luster Dragon and Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End!_"

"It's about to get intense Joey, so hang onto your socks. I summon Luster Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode." A sapphire dragon with ruby colored eyes then appeared and let out a small screech.

"Next I'll remove from play from my Graveyard my Thunder Nyan Nyan and Jinzo, allowing me to call forth my more powerful dragon, Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" The powerful black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field, swinging its head wildly, roaring at Joey. Hot breath came from its mouth as it glared at Joey.

"It's the beginning of the end for you Joey. Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack his life points directly with Chaos Blaster!" With that, the large black dragon opened it's jaws and released a stream of black energy at Joey, smacking him hard and making Joey go skidding backwards.

Still, Joey remained standing after the attack and said "Is that all you got Illidan! I'm able to take more than that, so bring it on!"

Slightly smirking, Illidan replied "You asked for it now Joey. Luster Dragon, attack him directly with Ruby Blaster!" A flash of sapphire took to the sky as the dragon opened it's jaws and fired a ruby fire ball at Joey. The fireball struck Joey hard, making him slide backwards even more. Joey remained standing though, but barely.

Panting hard, he asked "Is that all you have!"

Illidan only frowned at this. "_He's been hit twice directly, yet he refuses to give up. He's so proud and strong, but that only gets you so far in a duel. It's time to give him some more punishment then._"

"I'm not through yet. Witch of the Black Forest, direct attack him with Black Magic Blast!" As her robes rippled from the energy she was conjuring up, her eyes glowed white. Finally, she threw a blast of black magical energy at Joey, knocking him to one knee. He had his head down, but Illidan could see a smile on his face. He was panting profusely now, and sweat seemed to drench his brow.

"I'll end my move at that." (Illidan 7300, Joey 1100)

Up in the stands, everyone questioned Joey's move. Yugi and gang all couldn't figure it out still.

Mai flat out said "It makes no sense Yugi. He's smarter than this."

Yugi only nodded in agreement with Mai's statement, saying "I know Mai, but he must have a plan. Why else would he allow this to happen?"

Mai only shrugged, not knowing herself. Marik only tried to sooth her by saying "It's not over yet though Mai. I bet he has a plan. Joey's a tough duelist, and I think he has something in stored for Illidan. He wouldn't simply give up, not yet."

Tea, Tristan, Duke, and Serenity only looked on with looks of worries on their faces. Silently in her thoughts, Serenity said "_Come on Joey, I know you can win. You have to win. How else are you going to become champion? I believe in you big brother. You can do this._"

Elsewhere in the crowd, Seto only laughed at Joey and said "That third rate duelist is getting the beating he deserves. Why Gozaburo even bothered to invite him to this tournament I'll never know. I'll just continue to watch him get beaten senseless!"

Seto only laughed again as Noa only glared at his step brother, wondering how he could be so mean to poor Joey.

Sitting with Bakura, Marie only sat there pondering why Joey was losing so badly. He had fought so hard the first duel against Illidan, but this time, he was letting Illidan run him into the ground.

"This isn't Joey's style, Marie." commented Bakura.

Marie was awakened from her thoughts by Bakura and turned to him, saying "Yeah, I know. He's such a talented duelist, but yet he's playing like he just started to learn the game. He better have a plan, or Illidan will wipe him out in one more turn. Not that I'm saying I don't want Illidan to win, but I want Joey to put up a decent fight as well."

Bakura only laughed and nodded, knowing full well what his friend really meant.

Back on the field, it was Joey's turn. He beamed with confidence and then made his move.


	91. Chapter 91: All on the Line, Pt 2

**Hello once more everyone. Well, I had a good day yesterday with my fiancé. Spent part of it out in town, then went back to her house and spent the rest alone, hehe. Anyways, I'm to go again today, but first I need to post a chapter. At any rate, time to answer some reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, he played fairly well against Illidan, but now he's just getting trounced. Lol, Kaiba is enjoying it at the least. And yes, my fiancé missed her little doggie demon, hehe. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll get a chance to look over your chapter. I started reading it, but got distracted. I'll finish though, so no worries.**

**Brianna Ishtar: … Ok… Can I watch while you use that whip… Gets smacked in the back of the head by fiancé. I mean, enjoy yourself Ryou.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Indeed Joey better. Possibly he was a bit hasty, or maybe not. Who knows but Joey, or me, hehe.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Sure it helped. I set his mind straight, maybe. Yeah, Shadi's head over heels. Smirks at Ryou wielding a whip. Can… Smacked in the back of the head again. Sigh Hey Ryou, catch! Throws him handcuffs. Ryou: "Evilly smirks Thanks, hehe!"**

**Well, now that was interesting. Smacked in the back of the head again. What did I do now? Oh yeah, I just gave away our handcuffs… Oh wait, I just said too much like with me being a hanyou and all… Yeah, that's all I have to say today, hehe. Anyways, seriously, enjoy the chapter, and I'll have another out tomorrow.**

**Chapter 91**

Joey only smiled at the card he had drawn.

Seeing Joey's anxiousness, Illidan asked "Well Joey, what is it?"

Joey grinned and said "I'll end my move." (Illidan 7300, Joey 1100)

Illidan about fell over at the words Joey had said. Everyone in the crowd felt like doing an anime sweat drop at Joey's words and actions.

Sweat dropping himself, Illidan returned to his serious tone and said "Alright Joey, since you didn't end this duel, I will. Watch as I draw!" Illidan quickly drew his next card. It was his Blade Knight.

"Luster Dragon, finish this duel by direct attacking Joey's life points with Ruby Blaster!" The beautiful sapphire dragon took to the sky yet again and opened up it's jaws and spat a ruby colored fireball straight at Joey. As the blast about hit Joey, Joey's body began to glow brightly.

Shocked at this, Illidan said "What in the world!"

Suddenly, Joey's body glowed brighter. When the glow died, there stood Joey in a red and white suit of armor. It had a helmet and the top piece was covering Joey's eyes. Then suddenly it slid up, revealing Joey's eyes. His armor also had wings on the back of it, making him look like some kind of flying knight.

Unsure of what to make of this development, Illidan asked "What have you done Joey!"

Joey only smiled and pointed to his revealed trap card. "You see Illidan, as you attacked, I activated this trap card. It's known as Aura Armor. It can only be activated when I have 2000 or less life points. Sure, I have to pay half my life points to also use it, but as a result of activating it, I can end your battle phase."

Illidan then noticed that a little holo attack and defense point status bar appeared beside Joey. Curious, he said "Wait, you have a status like a monster. Why?"

Chuckling again, Joey said "That's the other effect of Aura Armor. Basically, it transforms me into a monster on the field. My attack and defense points are directly linked to my life points, so whatever my life points are is the number of attack and defense points I have (550/550). Also, when this armor goes, so does my life points."

Nodding with understanding, Illidan said "I see. So, this was your plan. I hope that armor is worth the risk, because if it wasn't, you're in real trouble. I'll end my turn." (Illidan 7300, Joey 550)

Joey smiled and said "Good, cause it's my move. Come on, deck, show me some love!" Joey drew and looked at his card with a wide grin.

"Sweet! First I give up half of my life points in order to keep this suit of armor on. Now I play the magic card known as Roll of Fate!" A die then appeared on the field. It began spinning rather rapidly.

"Now I roll this die. Whatever the result of the die is the number of cards I can draw from my deck. The only bad side of this card is whatever the result of the die is; I have to discard the same number of cards from my deck as well. Now let's see how lucky I am!" The die then hit the ground. It rolled and rolled and rolled forever. Finally, it landed on a six.

"Yes! A six! That means I can draw six new cards." Joey then drew six new cards. He carefully studied them for a moment till he then drew six more cards and sent them to the Graveyard.

"It's over for you now Illidan. Allow me to begin by playing the magic card known as Red-Eyes Transmigration! This card can only be activated when I have Aura Armor on the field. Now all I have to do is sacrifice my Red-Eyes Black Dragon to activate it."

Illidan only looked at Joey with a puzzled look and said "But your dragon isn't on the field."

Joey only grinned and replied with "Yeah, but he's in my hand." He then showed the card to Illidan to prove it.

"Now I sacrifice my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and my Aura Armor in order to summon Lord of the Red (2400/2000)!" Suddenly the field glowed with a green light. The black dragon then appeared above Joey. He slowly lowered himself towards Joey. Then Joey's armor began to glow green. It seemed to catch fire, but it was a green flame. Only Joey's eyes and hands could be seen through the fire. Then suddenly, the flames died down and a new armor appeared on Joey. It looked very much like the black dragon that had been there a moment before, but transformed into armor.

Joey then yelled "YEAH!"

Finally, all the flames dissipated. Shocked, Illidan asked "What in the world?" He was nearly speechless at this display. "_What has he done! More importantly, what has he become?_" Illidan said in his mind.

Joey grinned as his armor gleamed in the morning light, and said "I know, kind of shocking, isn't it Illidan? I'm sure you could use a close up look though."

Illidan eyed the new armor. It was powerful looking, but still no match for his Chaos Emperor Dragon. Smirking, he said "Your new armor is impressive Joey, but you can't withstand the might of my Chaos Emperor Dragon."

Joey only smirked and said "Not yet, but watch this. I first activate the equip magic card known as Sword of Dragon's Soul! Now I equip it to Lord of the Red (3100/2000)." A huge spiked sword then appeared in front of Joey. Joey grabbed the hilt and then smashed the blade into the ground, allowing it to rest.

"Next I'll activate the magic card known as Dian Keto the Cure Master, raising my life points by 1000. And since I just activated a second magic card, Lord of the Red's special effect is triggered." Suddenly green flames began forming around Joey again.

Illidan was anxious now. "_What is he up to now?_" Curious, he asked "What are you doing Joey?"

Joey smiled and replied with "When two magic cards are played in the same turn, Lord of the Red's special effect is triggered. I can now destroy all monsters on the field except for Lord of the Red!"

Illidan's eyes widened with terror. "_That means Chaos Emperor Dragon is gone!_"

Joey then leaped from his spot to the middle of the field and yelled "Say good bye to all your monsters Illidan! Now Lord of the Red, use Fist of Fiery Destruction!" Joey's fist began glowing with a green fire. He then came flying back down towards the ground and struck it with his fist, causing green flames to rise everywhere on the field. The black dragon with orange hair, the sapphire dragon, and the woman in black robes all screamed as the fire caused them each to explode.

Joey then returned to his field and said "Now you have nothing to hide behind Illidan!"

Illidan only glared at Joey, saying "Maybe so, but you triggered Witch of the Black Forest's special effect. Now I can draw one monster with 1500 or less defense points from my deck and add it to my hand. And I'll choose my Spirit Reaper."

Joey only shrugged, and replied with "Now Lord of the Red, direct attack with Sword of Dragon's Soul Strike!" Joey then grabbed his huge spiked sword and took to the air. He spun around, displaying amazing agility. Then he came flying down at unbelievable speed. He quickly slashed Illidan with the huge sword before Illidan even had time to react. Illidan slid backwards some and grasped his chest in pain, but remained standing.

Joey landed gracefully back on his side of the field and said "Now I'll set two cards face down, ending my move. Give it all you got now Illidan!" (Illidan 4200, Joey 1275)

Slightly panting and trying to deal with the pain, Illidan's thought quickly turned to Joey's impressive move. "_Joey sure has turned this thing around. And with that new armor on, he's stronger than ever. But if I can destroy that armor, I'll be in business. It's just the fact I have to destroy it first. First thing is first though. I have to neutralize any possibility of his special ability being activated again. Imperial Order can take care of that, luckily._"

Illidan drew his next card and saw it was Gamma the Magnet Warrior. Deciding it was better to not waste it, he said "I'll set one monster in defense mode, then set one card as well. That ends my move." (Illidan 4200, Joey 1275)

Joey drew his next card and said "Ah, too bad. I was hoping you'd attack me Illidan, but since you're going to back down, allow me to. I'll first summon Alligator's Sword (1500/1300) in attack mode." A green gator warrior in black armor then appeared. It whipped its tail once and brought it's sword in front of itself to show it was hungry for action.

"Now Lord of the Red, attack his face down monster with Sword of Dragon's Soul Strike!" Joey leapt into the air once again, traveling extremely fast. He brought his sword forth and swung it downwards. The sword came crashing down onto the face down card image, instantly shattering it and causing smoke to fill the air. The sound of metal grinding on metal then filled the air. When the smoke cleared, a grim reaper creature with a scythe had appeared and was holding the large sword back from crushing it. Joey leaped back to his side of the field and turned towards Illidan.

"I see now, I attacked your Spirit Reaper (300/200). As I remember, it can't be destroyed due to battle, right?"

Illidan simply nodded.

Sighing, Joey said "Alright then, I end my move." (Illidan 4200, Joey 1275)

Illidan drew his next card. He only sighed due that it was his Blade Knight. "_Still not a strong enough monster to take down his monster. Although, I could take it down permanently. Yeah, I'll just blow it up with Ring of Destruction. That's a great plan._"

"I'll summon Blade Knight (1600/1000) in attack mode." A white knight in a full suit of armor then appeared with the sun gleaming off his white shield and sword.

"Now I place one card face down. Blade Knight, attack his Alligator's Sword with Silver Blade Strike!" The knight quickly rushed the gator warrior.

As the knight neared, Joey only smiled and said "I don't think so! I reveal my face down card, Graceful Dice! This magic card allows me to roll a die. The result of the die is then added x 100 to my monsters attack and defense points." A little creature with a pink coat and hat that had wings appeared. It then dropped a blue die. It rolled till it landed on a five.

"Yes! Now my Alligator's Sword gains 500 additional attack and defense points (2000/1800). Alligator's Sword, counter attack now!" The gator then glowed with new power. It gripped the hilt of its sword tightly and clashed it's sword against the white knight's sword. The knight was slowly being overpowered by the gator and was about to be destroyed.

Illidan quickly said "I won't let you beat my Blade Knight! I reveal the trap card known as Imperial Order. This trap negates all magic cards on the field. That means Graceful Dice and your Sword of Dragon's Soul are now useless!" Joey's huge sword he had by his side suddenly turned to stone and fell to the ground, weakening his points instantly (2400/2000). At the same time, the gator suddenly lost all his extra power, making him weaker than the white knight again. The knight saw his opening and knocked the gator's sword out of his hand. Then in one fluent swipe, he slashed the gator hard, easily destroying it.

"That shall end my move." (Illidan 4200, Joey 1175)

Smiling as he drew, Joey said "Not bad Illidan, but your Blade Knight is wide open now. Lord of the Red, attack Blade Knight with Inferno Fire Punch!" Joey leapt into the air in classic style again. As he neared his target, Illidan smirked.

Clicking a button on his Duel Disk, Illidan said "I reveal my trap card, Ring of Destruction!" A huge collar with explosives on it suddenly appeared.

Shocked at what he saw, Joey yelled "What?"

Illidan continued on, saying "Ring of Destruction, attach yourself to Lord of the Red!" The huge collar then flew straight at Joey. It slipped easily around his neck and locked into place. The explosives started glowing red when Joey clicked a button on his Duel Disk.

Joey quickly said "I don't think so Illidan, because I activate the trap known as Trap Jammer. This card negates one trap card on the field, so say good bye to your Ring of Destruction!" Suddenly the huge collar disintegrated away, freeing up Joey.

"Now I'll continue my attack!" Joey then continued his assault. He reached the white knight and punched it hard with a flaming fist. The knight cried out in agony, but then blew apart into millions of pieces.

"That'll do it for me. Make your move Illidan." (Illidan 3400, Joey 1175)

Illidan only growled in frustration. "_Seems like no matter what I try to do, he counters me. I have to find a way to take down his Lord of the Red, and fast._"

Slowly, he drew his next card. He pulled it up to view and smiled. Glancing at his hand, he realized he had Breaker the Magical Warrior still. "First I'll pay the 700 life points to keep Imperial Order in play. Next I set one card face down, and then summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode." A maroon robed mage then appeared. He held a sword and shield and had magical energies seemingly.

"Now that I summoned him normally, I can add one spell counter to him, which raises his attack points by 300 (1900/1000)." A small ring of energy appeared on the mage's sword, right near where the hilt was connected to the blade.

"That shall end my turn." (Illidan 2700, Joey 1175)

Joey only flicked his wrist, showing he was not fazed by Illidan's move. Smiling as he drew, he said "Not bad Illidan, but you'll have to do better if you want to defeat me. Now I'll draw. I'll summon Little-Winguard (1400/1800) in attack mode." A warrior robed in blue then appeared on the field. He had wings with an odd helmet. To say the least, he didn't look much like a warrior. Joey then paused. He seemed to be assessing the field from what Illidan saw.

"Now I'll set one card face down and move to my end phase. Next I can activate Little-Winguard's effect. It allows me to switch his position, so I switch him to defense mode. That ends my move." (Illidan 2700, Joey 1175)

Sighing, Illidan realized Joey must have seen through is plan. "_Darn, he realized I probably set a trap. Well, I have to take it to him now or I'll never be able to defeat him._"

Illidan drew his next card and put on a big grin. "You're about to go down Joey, thanks to this card."


	92. Chapter 92: All on the Line, Pt 3

**Hey all. Well, yesterday was fun, but today I start work once more… Oh well, at least I got a four day weekend and I rested up some. I had a good time seeing my fiancé today. We had a fun time going for a drive and then relaxing at her home. We also took some pictures, so I may put one or two up on my Myspace account to show everyone. At any rate, time to get moving onto the reviews.**

**thehyperactivecow: Lol, stupid computer indeed. Thanks for the comments.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Maybe, hehe. Yeah, I watched it actually. When I was writing this story, I was actually watching the Doma series, which gave me great ideas on the cards. It's alright about not reviewing though. We all need a little time away sometimes.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Laughs at Brianna and pink-kiss-candy. Poor girls, all worried about the dangerous little Ryou. Pats Ryou on the back with baseball bat. Ryou: "Huh?" Smacks Ryou in the back of the head with baseball bat. I've saved you both, so now, as Miroku off Inuyasha would say, would you bear… Knocked out by fiancé. Cindy: "Ignore him." Has spiral eyes and is dragged away for torturing by Cindy.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Wakes up and continues reviews. Poor Ryou, confused for Bakura.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yep, it's got a good bit of powers. I'll get to your feedback pretty soon, more than likely tonight.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Yes, I did have to leave a cliffy, hehe. Lol, yes, Illidan was being rather sarcastic. Later in the story, he becomes rather sarcastic about many things, lol. As for chapter count, there are lots, hehe.**

**Well, that's all I have this morning. Dreads going back to work. Better than getting knocked out by Cindy I guess. Hmm, if only I could make that a job. Looks into those kind of prospects. Lol, anyways, I'll post again tomorrow as usual, so till tomorrow, later.**

**Chapter 92**

Illidan only held the card out in his hand, with it facing himself.

Joey grew fidgety and finally asked "What did you draw?"

Illidan only grinned again and said "I drew this." He then turned the card over to reveal it to Joey. It was his Mage Power magic card.

"Not that! Wait, you can't even play it thanks to your own trap card, so why am I worried?" replied Joey.

Illidan only smirked now. "You should be, because I now choose not to pay the 700 life points, so Imperial Order is now out of play."

Joey then began to sweat, saying "Oh no, now you can play your card!"

Smirking, Illidan replied with "Now you're catching on Joey! I equip Mage Power to my Breaker the Magical Warrior, raising his attack and defense points by 500 points per a magic and trap card I have on the field. Since I currently have two, he gains 1000 total points (2900/2000)!" The mage began to glow with multicolored energies as his power increased.

Still, Joey seemed confident after a moment. He then said "Illidan, if you haven't forgotten, I now get back my Sword of Dragon's Soul, which means I have all my attack points back (3100/2000)." The sword that had turned to stone returned to normal. Joey picked it up by the hilt and dug it into the ground, showing he was ready for a fight if it came down to it.

Realizing Joey had a point, he thought "_He's got a point, but his face down worries me. If it's something that boosts his attack points, Breaker is finished. I have to take that risk though!_"

Illidan let out a small smile and said "Now I activate Breaker's special ability. It allows me to remove his spell counter, lowering his attack points by 300, but for a good cause (2600/2000). I can now destroy one magic or trap card on the field, and I choose your Sword of Dragon's Soul!" The mage then took aim and brought his sword directly in front of himself. The sword began to glow as the ring of energy disappeared into the blade. The mage then made a sweeping motion with his sword, sending out an energy wave, which cut through Joey's large spiked sword, instantly breaking it. Joey only growled at this.

Illidan then thought about his move for a moment. "_Now do I attack or not? If I do, I could destroy his Lord of the Red and his life points. But if he has a trap to stop me, I could lose Breaker. I have to take the risk._"

"Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack his Little-Winguard first with Magical Sword Slash!" In a flash the robbed mage closed the gap between himself and the small warrior. The mage then brought forth his sword and slashed the tiny creature, easily destroying it.

"Now my Deck Master's special ability allows me to attack again, so Breaker, attack his Lord of the Red with Magical Sword Slash!" Once again the robed mage took off, closing the gap between him and Joey quickly.

Joey only flashed a smile of confidence and said "I activate my trap card, Skull Dice!" A small creature dressed in black shoes, a cape, and hat with bat wings appeared. He also had on a yellow jacket, and held a red die.

"Now depending on the roll of the die is how many attack and defense points your Breaker will lose. Roll that die now my Skull Dice!" The little creature laughed and then threw his die. It hit the ground and rolled for what seemed like forever. Finally, it landed on a one.

Shocked, Joey screamed "WHAT? NOT A ONE!"

Illidan only laughed and said "Looks like your trap only lowered Breaker's attack and defense points by only 100 points (2500/1900). Breaker, destroy his Lord of the Red now!" The mage only continued on with his attack. He disappeared for a moment, only to return to sight behind Joey. Joey then cried out in pain, revealing three slash marks on his armor. Suddenly, his armor exploded, throwing him backwards onto the ground. When the armor blew off him, his original Aura Armor reappeared on his body, and the black dragon also appeared on the field.

Surprised, Illidan asked "Hey, why is your dragon out now? And why do you have Aura Armor on now?"

Joey weakly smiled. The attack Breaker had delivered had obviously taken a lot out of him. Slowly, he stood back up, hand clutching his side and said "Well Illidan, you see, when Lord of the Red is destroyed, I can automatically special summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) back to the field. As well, the same goes for Aura Armor (1075/1075). That means I still have monsters as well as life points."

Illidan only frowned at this new development. "_That means he can still save himself, but not for long, since his dragon is weaker than Breaker. Also, his Aura Armor is so weak, I'll be able to blow it up soon._"

Sighing, Illidan said "Alright, I'll just end my move." (Illidan 2700, Joey 1075)

Joey was panting hard as he stood there staring on at Illidan. Illidan soon realized why. "_That move really did a number on him I bet. He's exhausted probably from wearing that armor more than anything._"

Joey then took a deep breath and said "It's my move, and I know I can beat you, so watch this." Joey closed his eyes and drew his card. Slowly, he revealed it to himself. A smile crept onto his face when he saw his card.

Smirking, he said "Watch this move Illidan. I first pay half my life points in order to keep Aura Armor on the field. Next I play the magic card known as Double Spell! In order to activate a spell card in your Graveyard, I must discard one card. Now I discard my Block Attack magic card to the Graveyard. The card I choose to use from your Graveyard is Pot of Greed. Next I'll draw my two new cards."

Joey closed his eyes once again for a moment. After a moment, he opened them and grabbed two new cards from his deck. He glanced at them and laughed. "I couldn't have asked for a better set of cards to draw! Now I move my Deck Master to the field, so Flame Swordsman (1800/1600) is now in play." The orange and blue warrior slowly slid onto the field. He took a stance beside the large black dragon.

"Now I sacrifice Red-Eyes, Flame Swordsman, and my Aura Armor in order to summon Gilford the Lightening (2800/1400) in attack mode!" Everyone gasped as his two monsters disappeared and then Joey's armor disintegrated. Then a flash of lightning hit the field. A warrior then appeared, wearing white/golden armor that covered part of his body where part was bare, with an orange cape and a powerful sword on his back. He raised both fists, letting out a loud cry.

"Since I sacrificed three monsters to summon Gilford, his special effect is triggered. He automatically destroyed every monster on your side of the field, so do it Gilford!" The warrior's sword then rose a few inches out of its sheath. He grabbed the hilt and held the sword to the sky, causing lightning to come down, striking both of Illidan's monsters and instantly destroying them.

Shocked, Illidan's mind quickly thought "_Not good! Now I only have one card to protect me. I just hope Joey don't attack._"

"Since I know you love to play traps Illidan, I'll activate one last card. The magic card known as Giant Trunade! Now all magic and trap cards return from the field to their owner's hand. That means you're wide open now!" Illidan's face down card then returned to his hand. Joey had a point. Nothing now blocked Joey's path.

"Now to finish this duel, once and for all! Gilford the Lightening, direct attack his life points with Lightening Sword Strike!" The warrior threw a blade of lightening straight at Illidan. Everyone in the crowd was gasping, not believing what they were seeing.

Then suddenly Illidan looked at Joey with a face of determination, saying "It's not over yet Joey! I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. At a cost of 1000 life points, I can now special summon one Chaos monster back from my Graveyard. And since I only have one Chaos monster in it, I choose my Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" A flash of light appeared in Illidan's Graveyard, followed by an incredible blackness. Then the powerful black dragon with orange hair remade its grand entrance to the field. The dragon roared, causing the oncoming attack to Illidan to dissipate.

Looking at Joey, Illidan asked "Now what will you do Joey?"

Joey only stood there, fists clenched. He realized he had no cards in his hand, no cards on the field other than Gilford, and that Gilford was weaker than Illidan's dragon. He bowed his heard, trying to hide the frustration over being out done by Illidan.

Illidan soon realized it was over. "_He's beat now. With nothing to save him, he's lost this duel. He was close, but not close enough._"

Joey then revealed his face from the shadow of his hair. Hints of tears seemed to be forming. He said in a sad voice "I'm unable to do anything Illidan. So, I have no choice but to end my turn. It's over now anyways." (Illidan 1700, Joey 537)

Illidan drew his card. He didn't even look at it. Smiling softly, he said "You did good Joey, but now I'll end this duel. Now I give up 1000 life points in order to activate my Chaos Emperor Dragon's special ability. He can now destroy all the cards on the field and in our hands. Chaos Emperor Dragon, use Infinite Blaster!" The large black dragon then flew to the middle of the field. It began glowing with power, till finally it was extremely bright. Then with a bang, the dragon exploded, destroying himself, the large warrior, and Illidan's cards in his hand.

After the blast, Illidan said "Since we each had a monster on the field, that's already two cards. I multiply each card that went to the Graveyard by 300, and since our monsters went, that is already 600 life points deducted from your score, which is enough to cause you to lose. Plus the monster you summoned when you sacrificed your Deck Master is gone as well, causing you to lose both ways."

Joey's life points then dropped to zero, causing his Duel Disk to power down, followed shortly by Illidan's Duel Disk.

The judge cleared his throat and said "The winner of this duel, and still dual champion still, Illidan Stormrage!"

Illidan walked over to Joey after the announcement and offered his hand to Joey, saying "That was an awesome duel Joey."

Joey kind of perked up, wiping his eyes with his opposite hand, and replied with "Yeah, it was. And it was an honorable duel as well. Congratulations Illidan."

The two then shook hands and laughed, happy with how the duel had gone, knowing each had fully tested the other.

Meanwhile, in his throne, Gozaburo only made a mocking congratulation clap. Silently, he said to himself "Bravo Illidan, bravo."


	93. Chapter 93: Secret Seal

**Hey everyone. Wow, so many reviews, and there are a few new people! This is great news, and I'm happy to see more people taking interest in reviewing. Well, without further ado, then I shall get to the reviews.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Hehe, yeah, I thought I'd make everyone think Joey had it won. He was close, but close don't cut it. It's soon, btw.**

**CWATZ: Wow, that's some power reading, lol. As for the 25 years time span between Yugioh and GX, I'm unsure on that one, but it's possible I guess. I'd think the age of the people would show better, like with the Paradox Brothers, Pegasus, and Seto, not to mention the posters of Yugi. Maybe I'm wrong, but I heard 10 years between the two, which makes a bit more sense, but again, I could be wrong. Thanks again for the comments btw, and I hope you keep reading.**

**Strawberry Cake: Thanks for the comments. I tried hard to keep Illidan as real as possible, and to make the duel with Yugi/Yami real and close. And yes, those two are fighting over Ryou, aka the sweet Bakura.**

**thehyperactivecow: Joey was close, but close don't cut it. Lol, don't have a heart attack yet.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, you're right, he's the 10th duelist, which means the final ten way duel is coming up soon, as in very soon, lol. Listens to music and taps foot along with it.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Lol, no, not a good sign. Then again, the key can't quite say don't hurt me. Hmm, breaking it off in a door does sound fun though, hehe. And yeah, I thought I'd have some fun and have Joey use his armor cards. Illidan was close many times to destroying that armor, but Joey managed to slip away several times too. Btw, Joey will be fine, maybe, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Ponders on making Tea duel. Well… if it was a Shadow Game, and she would lose her voice permanently, I think I could do it, hehe. Then we'd never hear another boring friendship speech of doom! Smacks Ryou in head with baseball bat again. Just to make sure he's still not a danger, hehe.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, it's one of a few times. In the Doma series, his Skull Dice failed him against Mai, but he had to lose I guess. I'll get to leaving some feedback more than likely tomorrow. I got busy yesterday, so I couldn't get to it, sadly. Hopefully soon I will though.**

**Since I got a few new reviewers, I'm going to do something special. I'm going to go ahead and post two chapters today. I originally planned to post only one, but I'll go with two now. So, this one is for everyone, and thanks everyone for the reviews. I love getting reviews, good and bad. At any rate, everyone enjoy the two new chapters, and I'll be back on Friday morning. Till then, enjoy.**

**Chapter 93**

The day of dueling had been a fierce one. Every duelist wanted to have some kind momentum heading into the final 10-way duel, but only five people could win, and so was the case with the duels that day.

Illidan had won a hard fought battle against Joey to solidify his ten wins and zero losses record, while Joey found himself coming up slightly short. The remainder duels had been set up by random drawing the night before. Yugi and Seto had been matched up again. Once again, it became a duel of the Egyptian God Cards, with both pulling out all the stops, but in the end, both were equal. The eventual end showed both losing their God Cards and Yugi finishing off Kaiba with a Kuriboh. The next duel was Marie and Marik. Each of the two fought hard. Marik eventually got The Winged Dragon of Ra out, but only to watch it be crushed by a trap Marie had set. In the end, Marie pushed herself to the edge of her dueling limits and won the duel. Next was Bakura and Mai. Bakura showed that he still had a good bit of dueling skills, even without the spirit of the Millennium Ring. He marched his way through the duel to pick up the win. The final duel had been Noa and Keith. Keith's machine army tried to take advantage of Noa's spirit monsters, but it was no good, with Noa in the end destroying Keith's hopes of winning at least one duel.

After the day was over, the final stats were set. Illidan remained first, Yugi in second, Marie in third, Joey clinching fourth, Marik in fifth, Noa in sixth, Bakura in seventh, Seto sadly back in eighth, Mai settling in ninth, and Keith as miserable as ever in tenth.

Once everything had settled down, Illidan had returned to his room at two in the afternoon, hoping to get some sleep. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard a knock on his door. Grumbling, Illidan got up from his bed to find all the Millennium Item holders at his door. Surprised to see them all, he finally asked them to come on in since they had gotten him back up.

Once everyone was in, Yami appeared in spirit form beside Yugi. He then asked "I wanted all of us to discuss things before the final 10-way duel. Illidan, I understand you know more about the Millennium Crown than all of us. Can you tell us any weaknesses it may have?"

Illidan sighed and shook his head at Yami, saying "No, it has none. It was much more powerful than all the other items due that we had an excess of Shadow Magic left over after the creation of the first seven items. It surpasses the power of all seven Millennium Items even. So, combining our powers won't work against the crown. Still, there are only two small weaknesses in the crown."

The others looked at him intensely. Marie broke the silence and asked "What do you mean a few weaknesses? You just said it has none really."

Sighing again, he nodded, and said "Yes, it has no real weaknesses, but it does have two seals that prevent Gozaburo from maybe succeeding, or at least they should slow him down. You see, you all know of the main seal. It was designed by me, and it has kept the crown sealed after all these millennia's, but still, it could be broken."

He paused for a moment, thinking if he should tell the whole story. Deciding against it, he said "The seal prevents him from just simply making the wish, as you all know. He has to beat the strongest duelist in the world for that to happen, hence the reason for this tournament. He wants to find the strongest duelist, and then try and crush them in a duel. Still, it won't work, due to certain constraints in the seal, which prevent the crown from unlocking."

The others stared at him, curious to what the constraints was, but he quickly said "I can't tell you all the constraints, I'm sorry. If I did, I'd be putting you all in danger. I'm sorry, but I have to keep that one secret. I know you all are curious about it, but I just can't tell you all and put you in that kind of danger."

Sighing, the others slowly nodded, allowing him to continue. "As for the second seal, no one but I knew about it as well. It is a seal that is unbreakable, but it's a conditional seal."

Everyone was curious to what he meant, and Marik soon asked "What do you mean you created a second seal? No where in the history of Egypt and the Millennium Items does it say you created a second seal on the Millennium Crown. Then again, it barely speaks of the crown, but still, it says no where about the second seal."

Illidan nodded, acknowledging Marik's statement, and said "No one really knows about the second seal due that I hid it. No one, not even Shadi, Marie, Bakura, or Yami knew of it. I told no one about it because I wanted to hold it as a trump card, just in case someone ever stole the crown. I never wrote about it either, just so no one would ever know about it. That way the seal would be unknown."

All nodded, seeing why Illidan would do such a thing. Shadi then asked "But it still makes no sense that you never told any of us back then. Why didn't you?"

Sighing again, Illidan replied "Because if I had, one of us could have stolen the crown and known what to do. That was a risk I wasn't willing to take, so I made the second seal to keep us all safe."

Bakura seemed rather impatient, and finally said "Just tell us what the bloody second seal is so we'll know. After all, we're not going to take a risk now with that cursed crown. It's too dangerous for any of us to use."

Nodding, Illidan then thought back to what the seal was about. After a moment, he said "The second seal I was speaking of is a powerful one. I designed it so if the main seal is broken, this seal will be activated. When the main seal is broken, this seal takes over for the main one. Whatever the person wishes on the crown, the wish won't affect all of the other owners of the Millennium Items. That means, if Gozaburo makes a wish to kill everyone on the earth, the people who possess an item would survive. I know it seems like a cursed effect, but I don't think Gozaburo will wish for that. He'll most likely wish to control the world, thus he will gain control of everyone's mind. Luckily, we'll survive, if all of us are still around by that time."

Yugi quickly interjected "What do you mean if we're still around?"

Looking at the young man, Illidan replied with "Well, I expect Gozaburo to pull out all the stops before this tournament is over. He may not know about the last seal, but he may. I don't know for sure if he does or not. Why I say he may is because he has the power of future sight, like Marie's Millennium Necklace. If he saw in the future that the six of us are still around and roaming freely, he may have put two and two together, realizing that the crown can't take over the item holders. That means he'd have to get rid of us, somehow. Maybe he won't figure it out, but I'd still be careful, regardless if he does or not."

All five nodded with agreement to these words. Suddenly, the loud speaker came on. A familiar, but evil voice sounded off on it.

"Attention all duelists, I have an announcement to make. I'm very proud of how the tournament has gone so far. Each of you have done well, and have earned your spot in the final 10-way duel. Before we get there though, there will be one final duel. It shall be a Gauntlet! It will feature the current Intercontinental and World Champion defending his titles against all duelists. It is much like the Tag Team Gauntlet, so that should give you a taste of what is in stored for you tonight duelists. The Gauntlet will be held at 6 P.M. a top the tower. It will be further explained there. Good luck to all you duelists, and especially the champion, muwhahaha!" blared Gozaburo.

The announcement was then cut off with evil laughter still going on. Finally, the loud speakers shut off, making everyone happy the laughter had stopped.

Everyone in Illidan's room then looked at Illidan, who only sighed, knowing he had yet another tough duel coming up.

"That's just not fair! After making us suffer last night through a grueling tag team gauntlet, and yet another day of tough dueling, he's forcing you to defend both your titles. He knows you're exhausted already!" yelled an angry Marie.

She was so furious right now that not even an Egyptian God would stand in her way. Her anger finally boiled over, causing her to get up and run towards the door.

Realizing what she was about to do, Illidan cried out "Stop Marie! Don't even try to go stop him! You'll only get hurt, or worse…"

Marie stood there at the door, shaking with anger. She turned back towards him, her brown eyes slightly teary, but full of rage as well. She yelled "Why should I stop! He's running you ragged! He knows very well that you stayed up till four this morning while taking care of me. And he knows very well that you're exhausted from that small confrontation from last night. He's just…"

"Wait, he confronted you last night?" interjected Yami.

Illidan nodded to Yami, saying "Yes, he was here when I came back from watching over Marie. He was trying to get me to pick a fight with him. He played on my anger, knowing how enraged I was at him for forcing us to continue our duel last night after Marie was hurt. He tried to get me to fight him basically. Luckily, I realized what he was doing and refused to play his game. I tried to get him to leave you all out of this fight even. I offered myself as a prize if he would. He rejected it, saying all of you would suffer for what happened to the former owner of the crown. **All**, even the innocent that had nothing to do with what happened to him back in ancient times."

He had turned his eyes to the ground with his final words. "_It's not fair that he is dragging all the others into this. Most of them had nothing to do with the past Gozaburo. Only a few of us at this tournament did, but most of them were nearly killed the last time. Luckily, no one but Yami was back then, but still, they didn't deserve what they got in that time period. No one deserved what most of us got from that battle._"

He looked back up, seeing Marie still at the door. She had turned her back to the others and was preparing to leave again. Knowing she'd foolishly get hurt or worse, Illidan quickly ran and grabbed her from behind, holding her tightly in his arms so she couldn't escape.

"LET ME GO! I WANT TO PUT AN END TO THIS NOW!" she screamed in full anger. She was kicking and screaming, trying desperately to get free.

In a commanding voice, he said "Marie, stop it now! Getting yourself hurt or killed will not solve things! I love you too much to let you go get hurt or worse by that madman. Please, stop struggling and calm down."

She was stubborn though and continued to struggle. Grabbing on tighter, Illidan said with sorrow in his voice and tears in his eyes "Marie, I couldn't save you last time, but I won't make the same mistake this time. I promise you, I won't let him hurt you. I'd give my life before he ever has another chance to hurt you. I just ask you to calm down and let it go."

Finally, she complied and broke down in tears as well. As she sobbed, he gently said "We'll get him, but we must do it at the right time. Acting recklessly won't win this battle. It'll only cause more pain that isn't necessary."

She finally settled down and Illidan loosened his grip. She turned towards him, tears in her eyes. She then stared into his brown eyes, eyes that showed the sadness, the pain, and the worry for her. Knowing he was in pain from his past, she hugged him, and he hugged her tightly. Illidan hugged her tightly, not daring to let go. It was as if he let go the world would end.

Finally, he did turn her loose, knowing she was safe for now. He wiped his eyes clear and turned back towards the others. Silently, Marie thought about what Illidan had said. In her mind, she realized something. "_So, he still blames himself after all these years. It wasn't his fault then, yet he believes it was. He's never recovered from it I guess._"

Illidan then took his hand and latched it onto hers. Together, they went back to the group. The others, other than Shadi, had no idea what Illidan had been talking about when he said the last time.

Curious, Yami asked "Illidan, what do you mean by last time?"

Illidan sighed, knowing his friend still couldn't remember hardly a thing from the past. He then realized also that only he, Shadi, Marie, Bakura, and Yami had been there, but only himself, Shadi, and Marie could remember the past. The spirit of the Millennium Ring did remember as well, but since he was not around, he couldn't say anything about it.

Sighing once again, he decided they all needed to know, so maybe they'd be more careful when facing Gozaburo. Looking at Marie with sad eyes, he said in a sad voice "Marie, can you show them the vision of the past when we all last confronted Gozaburo?"

With a sad sigh, she nodded. She activated her Millennium Necklace and then took them into a vision of the past. After an hour, the vision ended and everyone returned. Once they realized why Illidan had said what he had, they all took pity on him, trying to convince him it wasn't really his fault.

Illidan of course as usual ignored them. "_How could they understand? It was my fault for allowing Gozaburo to use the crown. Now he can resume destroying my life, as well as so many others with that crown in his possession again._"

Slowly, everyone realized it was already four in the afternoon. Yugi said "We should go get ready for this Gauntlet. I have a feeling it's going to be another tough one."

The others all nodded and prepared to leave as well. Illidan thanked them all for coming and talking to him. Each tried to convince him not to continue to think it was his fault for the past. Even though he knew they meant well, Illidan deep down still blamed himself.

Only Marie was finally left with him. He gently kissed her, and then whispered "Please Marie, stay safe. I don't want to lose you again."

She peered into his deep brown eyes and nodded. He stared back into her beautiful chocolate colored eyes, wondering why after all these millennia's he was still so lucky to be with her.

In return to his comment, she whispered "And you promise not to get yourself hurt as well. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. I love you so much."

Illidan nodded and pulled her in for another kiss. It was more passionate than the last, but still gentle. Slowly, they parted and he said "I love you more than anyone or anything in this world or next. I promise to always be here."

With that, Marie kissed him one last time. It was a small, chastising kiss. As she pulled away, she said "You'd better."

With that comment, Marie turned and left for her own room.


	94. Chapter 94: The Gauntlet, Pt 1

**Chapter 94**

Once Marie left, Illidan quickly got cleaned up for his duel. After he had showered and ate dinner, he checked his deck. Once satisfied, he headed to the elevator. Surprisingly, he got to ride up alone.

At the top of the tower, Illidan saw the others already there. Everyone had their decks ready and each was ready for a real knock down drag out fight. The crowd had gathered as well, and was ready to see one of the greatest duels ever probably.

Yugi, Joey, Marik, and more of Illidan's friends had gathered together, discussing how they felt about the upcoming duel.

About this time, the judge rose up onto the tower thanks to an elevator near the ring. Soon after, Gozaburo himself rose up in his throne. He grinned evilly, making the others have shivers go down their spines.

The judge strode to the center of the ring and cleared his throat. He then said "Duelists, welcome to the Gauntlet. I'm sure many of you are wondering what this duel will be like. I will explain now. This duel is for the Intercontinental and World Championships. The current champion, Illidan Stormrage, will be the first duelist to compete in this duel. The duel shall go like this: the champion shall enter the duel first. The first opponent he shall face is the tenth place ranked duelist, which happens to be Bandit Keith. Each duelist that enters will start with 4000 life points. Once one of the duelists is defeated, the ninth ranked duelist shall enter. Also, if you win the round, an additional 1000 life points will be added to your total score. If in the event of a draw in a round, the duelists shall draw one card from their deck. The monster with the most stars shall win that round. Also, if a duelist takes control of an opponent's monster during the round, and that opponent is eliminated before the monster is returned, that monster shall remain with the new controller of that card. The rounds shall continue on till there is only one duelist left standing. Do you all understand?"

All ten slowly nodded their heads with understanding.

"_So, this duel is like the tag team gauntlet from last night. You duel until no one is left in your way. This will be brutal._" thought Illidan.

The judge then made a motion towards the ring. "Will the current champion and tenth ranked duelist now make their way to the dueling ring so we can begin?"

Illidan and Keith then walked into the middle of the ring. The judge said "Now duelists shuffle your decks and move to your places. Once there, activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards. Illidan, since you are the champion, you shall begin this duel."

Illidan nodded to the judge, but heard Keith say "You're going down chump. You and that chumpet may have beaten me last night due to my weak partner, but tonight, you're all mine."

He only laughed at Keith's empty threat. Both shuffled their decks and then headed to their spots on the ring.

Once in position, Illidan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, allowing himself to become lost in thought. "_This is going to be hard. I have to worry about how many turns I waste on people. Waste too many, and I run out of cards to draw in the end. Not to mention, I have to worry about life points. With only 4000 to start with, I could easily get attacked by two or three monsters and lose this duel. I have to keep them up, somehow. Not to mention, I have to be careful on what monsters I summon. I need to get something strong out first, but I can't waste good monsters either. I hope I can do this. No, I have to do this. I know I can do this. I have to win so I can continue marching forward to defeat Gozaburo. If I fail… No, I won't fail! I refuse to leave my friends and loved ones in that kind of danger! I have to win!_"

Illidan then opened his dark brown eyes to stare at Keith. Both activated their Duel Disks, each unfolding and powering up. The life point counters then activated.

Taking one last look over at the people he was fighting for, Illidan then looked back at Keith and called out "Come forth my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" The large soldier in shiny black armor then appeared, sword and shield in hand.

Keith then called out "Machine King (2200/2000), it's time to rock and roll!" The blue and red machine monster then appeared beside him.

Both then drew their first five cards as they had been instructed.

Illidan soon drew his sixth card and smiled. His hand consisted of Waboku, Scapegoat, Sangan, Spirit Reaper, Change of Heart, and his newly drawn Blade Knight.

Smiling, he said "I'll start things off by summoning my Blade Knight (1600/1000) in attack mode." The white knight in a full suit of armor appeared on the field, raising his sword and shield, ready for a fight.

"Next I'll set one card face down, ending my move." (Illidan 4000, Keith 4000)

Keith only smirked at this, and mockingly said "If that's all you got, you're going down chump! Now I summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode!" A blue and yellow machine monster then appeared on the field. It had to large gun barrels and seemed to float in mid air.

"Next for the fun part. My Deck Master raises his points by 200 (2000/1700)." The red and blue machine monster's eyes glowed softly with red. A beam fired from them, striking the blue and yellow machine monster. The glow increased the power output of the twin barreled monster.

"X-Head Cannon, attack Illidan's pathetic Blade Knight now with Cannon Blaster!" Both barrels glowed with a power build up. In a single blast, both barrels of the monster fired at the white knight.

Illidan only smirked and said "I activate my trap card, Waboku. Now my monster and my life points are safe for this turn." Three female mages in blue then appeared out in front of the knight. Together, the three put their hands out and stopped the blast from touching the knight.

Keith only growled in frustration and said "I set one card and end my move." (Illidan 4000, Keith 4000)

Illidan drew his next card and gasped. He had just drawn his favorite monster, the monster that had been connected to his soul for millennia's now. It was his Dark Magician of Chaos. Glancing at his field, he realized then he couldn't summon it, just yet, but with some of Keith's help, he could. Smirking, he figured out a way to make it all work out.

Before he could say anything though, Keith yelled in an irritated voice "Are you going to make your move today or not?"

Illidan glanced up at Keith and smiled, replying with "You want me to make my move, then here it is! I play the magic card Change of Heart, allowing me to take control of your X-Head Cannon!" The machine monster then switched sides of the field. It stared at its once former owner.

"Next I'll sacrifice both my Blade Knight and X-Head Cannon in order to summon my favorite monster, and one of my most powerful. I summon Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)!" Both monsters disappeared in a ray of light. A pentagram formed on the field at where they once stood. It glowed red as a mage in black armor then appeared in the pentagram. He had blue skin, which gleamed off of it. His eyes were closed, seemingly focusing all his power. Once he fully appeared, he opened his eyes, revealing yellow corneas and red irises. He then swung his staff out into an offensive position.

"Now his special ability kicks in. When summoned, or special summoned, I get to return one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand. So I return my Change of Heart card. Next it's time for you to get a taste of what's to come. Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack his life points with Chaos Slice!" Swinging his staff, the mage made a downward slicing movement through the air. An energy blade then flew straight out of the staff. It went hurtling across the field and smacked into Keith, making him slide backwards slightly. He grasped his chest, and was growling loudly. Anger could been seen seething from behind the dark sunglasses that he wore.

"I'll end my move by placing one card face down." (Illidan 4000, Keith 1200)

In an angry voice, Keith yelled as he drew "You're going to pay for that you chump! Nobody makes a fool out of Bandit Keith, nobody!" Keith was shaking from his anger. He glared a hole right through Illidan. Finally, Keith settled down and looked at his new card. He gave off one of his famous annoying laughs and looked up at Illidan.

"I'll take you down yet. I'll summon Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300) in attack mode." A blue and yellow tank then appeared. It looked more like a small crab in some ways, but it was definitely a tank.

"Time for my Deck Master to pump his points up (1700/1500)!" The blue and red machine monster's eyes glowed again as it fired a laser at the tank. It glowed for a second and then showed a surge of new power.

"Next I play the magic card known as The Cheerful Coffin. This allows me to discard up to three monster cards from my hand, but I'll only discard my Y-Dragon Head to the Graveyard. Next I reveal my face down trap known as Call of the Haunted, and I'll use it to resurrect my Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600)!" A red metallic dragon with wings for arms then appeared on the field. Its metallic screech could be heard all around the field.

"It also gains 200 points thanks to my Deck Master (1700/1800)." Again, the blue and red machine monster fired yet another laser, this time at the metallic dragon. It screeched even louder as its power grew.

"Now for the fun part. I play Monster Reborn, allowing me to resurrect my X-Head Cannon (1800/1500). And don't forget, he receives 200 points as well (2000/1700)." The blue and yellow robot then reappeared on the field. It aimed both its barrels at Illidan as it had once before.

"Since I have all three of my monsters on the field, I can now activate their special ability. I remove all three of them in order to fuse them together to form XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600) in attack mode. And don't forget, my new monster gets a power boost too (3000/2800)!" With that the three rolled forward. Slowly, the blue and yellow robot and the red dragon linked up. Then together, they linked up with the blue and yellow tank. Finally, a huge monster remained in place of where three weaker ones had.

"Now I'll use this monster to return the favor that you did me. I activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special ability. I can discard one card from my hand in order to destroy one card on the field, and I choose your Dark Magician of Chaos. So, now I discard, so say good bye to your monster."

Keith then pointed to the mage. "XYZ-Dragon Cannon, use your Cannon Burst to obliterate that mage!" The powerful machine monster aimed the two cannon barrels at the mage. In a flash, a blast was fired, instantly destroying the powerful mage.

Keith laughed manically, saying "Now you have nothing to hide behind Illidan! XYZ-Dragon Cannon, direct attack his life points with Cannon Firestorm!" All of the large machines weapons fired in a blaze.

As the blasts neared, Illidan smiled and said "I don't think so Keith. If you weren't so blind, you'd have noticed I set a card on the field. I activate the magic card Scapegoat, bringing forth four Scapegoat Tokens to defend me (0/0), each in defense mode." A rainbow of four goats then appeared. Each had a smile on their face.

Growling, Keith pointed to a goat and said "Destroy that goat!" The barrage of weapons pummeled the poor blue goat into nothingness.

"I'll end my move at that. You're going to be finished soon enough though Illidan. Trust me, you will be." (Illidan 4000, Keith 1200)

Illidan then drew his next card to see it was his Sinister Serpent. Smirking, he said "It's over for you now Keith. You just sealed your fate last turn."

Keith looked at Illidan puzzled and laughed, replying with "Don't you see that I have a powerful monster out you chump? What are you going to do, try to get me to say I give up, because I refuse to lose to you again."

Illidan only smirked and said "I warned you at least. Now I play the card that shall seal your fate. I play Change of Heart and take control of your XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" Suddenly Keith's large monster switched sides of the field. The switch of sides did lower its attack points due that it was no longer under Keith's Deck Master's jurisdiction. Sweat started appearing on Keith's brow.

"It's over now Keith! XYZ-Dragon Cannon, direct attack his life points with Cannon Firestorm!" The powerful machine powered up and turned its weapons towards Keith. In a brilliant display of light, Keith was blasted hard, knocking his points to zero. He was knocked to the floor by the blast, but growled as he laid there. After the smoke cleared from the blast, he slowly stood up.

In full anger, he yelled "That's the last time you make a fool of me you chump! Mark my words, in the 10-way duel, YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"

Keith slowly limped off the field after that display of anger. The judge soon raised his arm, saying "Illidan Stormrage is the winner of this round. He now adds 1000 life points to his total score. The next duelist to enter is Mai Valentine."

Mai slowly walked from where she had been leaning up against the wall towards Illidan. She made it to her mark and smiled at Illidan.

"Miss Valentine, shuffle your deck and then activate your Duel Disk. Then proceed to bring out your Deck Master. Finally, draw your first five cards after that. Once she is finished, you may take your turn Illidan. Remember, you can not attack her on your first turn. She may attack, but you cannot." commanded the judge.

Mai glanced up at Illidan and smiled, saying "Well hun, let's see what you can do."

She shuffled her deck quickly and placed it in the deck slot. Then her Duel Disk unfolded and activated. "It's time to win this one Amazoness Paladin (1700/300)!" The powerful Amazon then appeared beside of Mai. She had her sword's point resting on the ground while she held the hilt. Mai proceeded to draw five cards and then nodded.

Nodding back, Illidan said "Then let's do this Mai."


	95. Chapter 95: The Gauntlet, Pt 2

**Hello once more everyone. Glad everyone liked the duel so far. The gauntlet duel was originally meant to be only for Illidan, but then before I wrote it, I figured, why not have a tag team one as well, so I wrote it in. Anyways, I'm so happy to get so many reviews again. Time for me to go about answering them.**

**thehyperactivecow: Yep, Illidan wiped the floor with Keith easily, as usual. And yeah, don't have a heart attack yet, hehe. Save it for the end, lol.**

**CWATZ: Thanks. Yeah, I'm unsure on the time. I've been researching it, and I've been finding mostly 10 years, so that's my guess. It's kind of important for when I write another story, lol. Wow, top 5! Thanks again.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Hehe, yep, Kuriboh to Yami's rescue! Keith remained winless, which has to suck for him. Even Mai and Bakura won a duel at the least. I figured also that I'd make Joey move up into the top 5. I like Joey as well, although he's not a favorite, but he's a good duelist and not many take him serious. Yep, Illidan and Marie are sweet. I'm sure Gozaburo has plans to do something.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, Keith just got annihilated throughout the tournament. Never know, you may see that creature yet. Hehe, yeah, it's a small chink in his armor, but not a big enough one to really matter probably.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, it was fluff, lol. As for Keith, everyone needs to feel better about themselves, so he was there to help, hehe. Yells at Keith. "HEY MUTT!" Watches Keith running away crying. Ok, maybe I overdid it, lol.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Good question about Gozaburo. Knowing him, something sinister. But thanks for the comments.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, he goes down faster than… Actually, I don't know what would go down faster than him, lol. Tea does give long boring friendship speeches. I mean, for crying out loud, the freaking mark on their hands is in like eternal ink, lol.**

**Strawberry Cake: Yep, they do love one another deeply. Actually, my fiancé has a story that goes along with how they met and all in the past. In fact, I believe mine has part of it within my own story. And yeah, poor Bakura. He has a bad temper, but dealing with those two girls has changed him I think, lol.**

**Well, that's all I have this morning. I'm going to post 2 chapters again, just cause I love all the reviews I'm getting. So, enjoy the new chapters.**

**Chapter 95**

Illidan began by drawing his next card. He'd drawn his Mystical Space Typhoon. "I'll set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 5000, Mai 4000)

Mai nodded and drew, saying "Well, it's my move Illidan. I'm just glad it's not Marie I'm dueling. She'd have a million life points by now."

She let off a silly giggle, making Illidan laugh as well, although he saw Marie glare at him from where all the duelists waited for a shot to duel. Even with the glare, she couldn't help but laugh though.

"Alright, I'll summon my Amazoness Swords Woman (1500/1600) in attack mode." The powerful Amazon then appeared. She had wild hair and a large sword that made any man fear her.

"Next my Deck Master boosts her points by 300 (1800/1900). Amazoness Swords Woman, attack a Scapegoat Token with Amazon Sword Strike!" The mighty Amazon launched herself across the field. She easily swung her sword, destroying the orange goat with ease.

"Now I'll set one card face down and end my turn." (Illidan 5000, Mai 4000)

Illidan drew his next card with confidence and saw it was Beta the Magnet Warrior. Deciding it was better to hold that card, he said "First I'll begin by activating XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special effect. I now discard my Sinister Serpent to the Graveyard. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, use Cannon Burst on her face down!" The powerful machine took aim with its twin cannon barrels and fired a powerful blast. The blast destroyed the face down, revealing it to be Gravity Bind.

"NO, NOT THAT!" Mai said comically.

Illidan only smiled at Mai's over reaction and said "You'd better prepare yourself for something worse than that Mai. I now invoke my Deck Master's second special ability. At a cost of 1000 life points, I can return my Dark Magician of Chaos from the removed from play pile and summon him directly to the field. So, I give up the 1000 and special summon Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode!" A pentagram of fire appeared on the field. Slowly, slowly, the mage in tight black armor rose from it. His eyes glowed with a powerful magic. Once fully on the field, he swung his staff around, killing off the flames. He then began to emit a reddish glow of powerful magic abilities.

"Thanks to me special summoning him, I can return one magic card from my Graveyard. So I return Change of Heart!"

Mai suddenly got serious then, knowing what Illidan was up to. Sweat appeared on her brow, showing the fear she was feeling. "You had this planned, didn't you?"

Illidan nodded to her question and said "Now I play Change of Heart, allowing me to take control of your Amazoness Swords Woman!" Mai watched in horror as her only monster on the field switched from her control to Illidan's. Once on his side, she lost the points that Mai's Deck Master had given her (1500/1600). She then realized it was most likely over.

Curious, she asked "It's over, isn't it?"

Illidan nodded silently, knowing Mai knew that answer as well. She smiled and then prepared herself for the fight. "Well, bring it on Illidan. I'm ready for you."

Illidan nodded back and replied with "XYZ-Dragon Cannon, attack her directly with Cannon Firestorm!" The mighty tank powered up, charging all weapons to maximum power. It then fired directly at Mai, striking her hard. She remained standing though, although she was apparently half dazed by the blast.

"Amazoness Swords Woman, finish this duel by attacking directly with Amazon Sword Strike!" At that command, the Amazon took off at a quick pace. She slashed her former master, causing Mai to collapse to the ground. Her points then hit zero and her Duel disk powered down.

"The winner of this round is Illidan Stormrage. An additional 1000 life points shall be added to his total." announced the judge.

Illidan ignored the judge though and began to walk towards Mai. The judge quickly yelled "Mr. Stormrage, if you move from your position, you'll be disqualified. I'd advise Miss Valentine to walk over to you instead."

He was almost mad for a second till the judge said Mai could come over. Slowly, she stood up and walked over, offering her hand.

Smiling, she said "Good duel Illidan. I look forward to the final 10-way duel with you."

Illidan smiled back and said "Me too. Good luck Mai."

With that, Mai walked off the field, her head held high with pride for the duel she had competed in.

"Will Seto Kaiba please enter the duel ring now? He is up to duel since he is ranked eighth." announced the judge.

Seto then strode forward with his face stating his desire. He was there to win, at all costs.

Once he took his mark, the judge said "Mr. Kaiba, shuffle your …"

Before the judge could finish, Seto yelled "I know what to do you foolish judge. Just can it. I'm about to defeat Illidan and I'll reclaim my title, with another to boot. Prepare yourself Illidan, for you're about to lose and face the humility I have faced since I lost to you."

Seto then shuffled his deck and finally stuck it back in his Duel Disk. His Duel Disk then whirled to life and unfolded, instantly powering up. In a voice of confidence, he said "I bring forth my Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650)!" The powerful blue and purple undersea warrior then appeared beside Seto.

Seto then drew his first five cards and said "Hurry up and make your move Illidan, so I can crush you and reclaim what I deserve."

Illidan only chuckled at Seto's demands. "_Strange how one defeat by me set so much in motion. Now he's lost most of his duels since our last duel. He blames me so much, but it really isn't my fault. He'll never learn that though._"

Illidan drew his card and smiled. It was his Magic Cylinder. "I'll start by activating my Sinister Serpent's special effect during my Standby Phase. His effect returns him from my Graveyard to my hand. Next I'll set one card face down. Now I'll end my move." (Illidan 5000, Seto 4000)

Laughing manically, Seto said "You waste my time for that! That was pathetic. Now watch a true move. I first play the magic card Polymerization, allowing me to fuse my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons (3000/2500) from my hand into Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)!" Three large white metallic dragons then appeared on the field with a roar each. Suddenly they began to swirl together, till a large three headed dragon appeared in their place. It had a huge body and the three heads roared.

With another evil laugh, Seto said "Next I summon Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in defense mode." A mage in a dragon type robe appeared on the field in a crouching position.

"Now I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards. And now I'll play the magic card known as The Flute of Summoning Dragon! This allows me to special summon another dragon from my hand, and I choose my Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) in attack mode!" A large blue dragon with a red underbelly and several horns on his head appeared on the field. The spikes continued down his neck, but disappeared after that. Also, he had large claws that looked much like the spikes on his neck.

Seto now began one of his uncontrollable laughs, thinking he had everything won as usual. "Illidan, you fool, you're about to lose it all, and it all starts with my Lord of Dragon's help. You see, no magic, trap, or monster effect cards can effect them, so tough luck. Now Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, blast Illidan's pathetic Amazoness Swords Woman with Neutron Blast!" Lightening filled the ring as the three large dragon heads powered up. Energy was surging from the three heads. Finally, they fired their blasts into one huge blast of energy. The blast struck the female warrior hard, who used her blade to deflect some of the blast. She deflected it directly towards Seto, who was struck hard by the blast, knowing him to his one knee. After he went down, the female warrior was finally overtaken and was destroyed.

Growling loudly, Seto spat angrily "What did you just do to me Illidan? Explain now!"

Illidan only chuckled and replied with "If you had studied up on Mai's deck, you'd know that Amazoness Swords Woman's effect is quite deadly. It transfers the damage I'd receive to my opponent. That means the blast your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon sent at me was successful in destroying my monster, but the damage was deflected to you directly. That will teach you to attack a monster before you know much about it."

Seto only growled loudly, yelling "YOU WON'T MAKE A FOOL OF ME THIS DUEL! YOU HEAR ME ILLIDAN STORMRAGE, I WILL DESTROY YOU! NOW TRI-HORNED DRAGON, ATTACK HIS PATHETIC DARK MAGICIAN OF CHAOS WITH TRI-HORNED SPEAR STRIKE!" The powerful tri-horned dragon then charged the mage. He easily skewered the mage with a clawed hand, making the mage scream in agony till he was finally destroyed.

Seto only began to laugh at this, saying "Now your favorite monster is gone, and I've still got my most powerful monster out. Try to get out of this predicament Illidan! I end my move." (Illidan 4950, Seto 1000)

Lightly chuckling, Illidan realized something. "_He's going down the same way Mai did. He left himself wide open for it. I'm surprised. Wait, he isn't. I forgot about his Lord of Dragons. It protects his monsters from magic, trap, and monster effects. But that don't mean I can't take it out first._"

Illidan quickly drew his card to see his familiar Luster Dragon. "_My favorite non-tribute card. Too bad I can't use it yet. I will soon enough though._"

"First I'll activate my Deck Master's second special ability. I pay 1000 life points in order to return my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) to the field in attack mode." The mage then reappeared, his eyes glowing with magic as before.

Seto responded with a laugh, saying "Big deal if you returned your pathetic mage. He isn't going to save you this time Illidan."

Smirking, Illidan replied "I wouldn't laugh yet Kaiba because my mage's special ability allows me to return one magic card from my Graveyard. I'll choose Change of Heart."

Kaiba only laughed again at Illidan, saying "You fool! Don't you know you can't take control of my dragons still?"

Illidan only chuckled and said "In fact, I do Kaiba. That's why I activate my XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special ability. I discard my Sinister Serpent to destroy one card on the field, and I think my target shall be your Lord of Dragons! XYZ-Dragon Cannon, blow away his Lord of Dragons with Cannon Burst!" The powerful machine aimed both barrels at the mage dressed in dragon armor and fired. The mage screamed as he was struck hard, but finally faded away.

Seto only growled loudly at this, and yelled "It still doesn't matter! I can crush you without my Lord of Dragons!"

Illidan chuckled again, mockingly saying "Really? Well, let's see you do it after I play Change of Heart on your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Kaiba growled even more loudly as his three headed dragon switched sides. Terror filled his eyes as well, realizing he was about to lose the duel thanks to his own monster.

"Now that I have control of your dragon, I can end this round. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Tri-Horned Dragon with Neutron Blast!" Lightening once again filled the ring as the powerful dragon powered up. All three mouths were full of powerful energy. The three heads fired at the same time, their energies combining into one huge blast.

"NOOOO!" Seto screamed as the blue dragon was obliterated by the blast, knocking his life points down to zero.

He fumed now, yelling with a vain pulsing on his forehead "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS ILLIDAN STORMRAGE, IF IT'S THE LAST THING I EVER DO!"

Kaiba had just screamed that at the top of his lungs as his Duel Disk powered down. He then stomped off the field, not even bothering to stay to watch the rest of the duels.

The judge then raised his hand towards Illidan, saying "The winner of the round is Illidan. He now gains another 1000 life points. The next duelist is seventh ranked Bakura Ryou. Please step forward."

Bakura then came forward to the middle of the ring. The judge kindly said "Please shuffle your deck, and then move to your position. Once there, activate your Duel Disk and summon your Deck Master. Then draw your first five cards. Then Mr. Stormrage, you may begin."

Bakura nodded and shuffled his deck as instructed. Once done, he moved to his position. He took a deep breath, seemingly preparing mentally for this duel. Slowly, he opened his eyes back up and activated his Duel Disk. It unfolded and lit up.

Smiling, he said gently "I'll bring out my Dark Necrofear (2200/2800)." The almost blue skinned fiend that looked human, but was most definitely not human, appeared onto the field. Bakura then drew his first five cards and nodded to Illidan.

"Duelists, begin!" commanded the judge.

Illidan did as the judge instructed. Looking at his new card, he smiled. Deciding to hold onto his Raigeki for the moment, he said "I'll first return my Sinister Serpent to my hand. That'll do it for me." (Illidan 4950, Bakura 4000)

Bakura smiled at this little move, replying with "Not much of a move, eh. Well, I'll start things off by playing the magic card known as Masked Doll. Now whenever I have to pay life points for a magic, trap, or monster effect to activate from my side, I can negate it. Next I'll set four cards face down, and summon Sangan (1000/600) in attack mode." A little orange ball of fur then appeared on the field. It extended its green arms and legs and then opened its three eyes.

"That shall end my move." (Illidan 4950, Bakura 4000)

Illidan drew his Harpie's Feather Duster next. "_Excellent! I can take his face down cards now._"

Smiling, he said "I play the magic card Harpie's Feather Duster! Say good bye to all…"

Bakura interrupted saying "Not so fast Illidan! I activate the trap known as Magic Jammer, but then I chain to that by playing another trap known as Jar of Greed. Now, Jar of Greed allows me to draw one new card, which I now discard to use for Magic Jammer's effect. The card is a monster known as Headless Knight, but it don't really matter. Magic Jammer now negates your magic card, so nice try."

Illidan smiled at this, and replied "Not bad Bakura, but I'm far from done." Looking at the field, Illidan slowly realized Bakura still had two face down cards. "_If I attack with Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, he could reveal a Magic Cylinder or something that throws the blast back at me. I can't afford to take that much damage this early on. So, I'll play it safe for this turn._"

"I switch Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon into defense mode." The large dragon pulled it's wings in towards itself and pulled it's three heads within it's wingspan.

"Next I activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special ability. I discard my Sinister Serpent for it. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, use Cannon Burst on Sangan!" The huge machine took aim with its twin barrels and blew away the small orange creature easily.

Bakura smiled, saying in a chipper voice "Thanks to that move Illidan, I can now add one monster to my hand from deck with 1500 or less attack points. So, I'll add my Mystic Tomato to my hand."

Illidan nodded and continued, saying "XYZ-Dragon Cannon, now attack his life points directly with Cannon Firestorm!"

Before the shot could get off, Bakura said "Not so fast Illidan! First I activate my Deck Master's special ability. Normally, I'd lose 500 life points by returning a monster to the field by using it, but thanks to my Masked Doll card, I lose none. Now I return Sangan (1000/600) in attack mode." The little orange furry creature then reappeared, growling slightly at Illidan.

Sighing slightly, Illidan replied "Fine then Bakura, XYZ-Dragon Cannon, attack his Sangan with Cannon Firestorm!" Again, the powerful machine powered up, preparing to launch a shot.

Again, before the shot could get off, Bakura interrupted. "I activate my trap card, Dark Spirit of the Silent! This card negates your machine's attack and forces another of your monsters to attack. The monster I'll choose to attack shall be your Scapegoat Token!"

Illidan watched in horror as his tank was forced to power down and his pink goat creature switched from defense to attack mode. It then hurled itself at the orange fur ball, attempting to use it's horns as a battering ram. The orange fur ball of course had 1000 attack points, while the goat had zero. The orange fur ball easily avoided the ramming charge and slashed the goat with it's long nails on it's hand, causing the goat to cry out and explode.

Illidan growled in frustration and said "It's not over yet Bakura, because I still have one monster left to attack with. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack his Sangan with Chaos Slice!" The powerful mage started raising his staff to make a downwards slash at the fur ball creature, but was interrupted.

Bakura quickly said "Oh no you don't Illidan! I reveal another Dark Spirit of the Silent, forcing your other Scapegoat Token to attack my Sangan!"

The remaining goat creature then made a ramming charge at the orange fur ball, only to fail like the previous one. Instead of hitting it's target, the orange fur ball dodged and slashed the goat creature.

Smirking slightly, Illidan thought "_He sure is a tricky one._" Sighing due that he had failed that turn to accomplish anything, he said "I'll end my move." (Illidan 2950, Bakura 4000)


	96. Chapter 96: The Gauntlet, Pt 3

**Chapter 96**

Bakura drew and said "It's my move now Illidan, so prepare yourself. I place one card face down and then switch my Sangan to defense mode. Next I activate my Deck Master's special ability. I revive my Headless Knight (1450/1700) in defense mode." A silver with gold trim suit of armor without it's head and a sword and shield then appeared in a one kneed position on the field. The armor appeared to be empty inside, leaving a spooky feeling that someone was always watching you.

"Finally, I'll summon Mystic Tomato (1400/1100) in defense mode." A huge tomato then appeared on the field. It had eyes and a vicious looking mouth.

"That ends my move." (Illidan 2950, Bakura 4000)

Illidan drew his next card to see it was Alpha the Magnet Warrior. "_Good, I have Alpha and Beta. I only need Gamma and Valkyrion to complete the set._"

Looking back at the field, he said "First I return my Sinister Serpent from the Graveyard to my hand. Now I'll summon my Luster Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode." A beautiful sapphire dragon then appeared on the field. Its ruby eyes stared at Bakura.

"Next I discard my Sinister Serpent to activate my XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special ability. Now blow away his face down card with Cannon Burst!" The twin barrels pointed towards the face down card. The huge machine then fired its blast.

As the blast neared, Bakura said "I reveal my Jar of Greed, allowing me to draw one new card."

Illidan nodded as his monster's blast still destroyed the card, but not the effect as Bakura drew one card. Illidan then said "You may have gotten the effect Bakura, but I'm far from done. Next I switch my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon back into attack mode. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, attack his Headless Knight with Cannon Firestorm!" All the weapons on the huge machine powered up. It let loose a huge blast, instantly destroying the pathetic knight.

"I'm far from done yet. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack his Sangan now with Chaos Slice!" The powerful mage made a sweeping motion with his staff, throwing a blade of energy at the poor orange creature. The ball of fur was easily sliced in half and exploded.

"Due that he was destroyed by my Dark Magician of Chaos, he is removed from play. Thanks to my Deck Master, I can now attack with him again, so attack his Mystic Tomato with Chaos Slice!" The mage again swung his staff through the air, throwing yet another energy wave. It instantly slashed the tomato in half, causing yet another explosion.

"Like your Sangan, he was removed from play, so tough luck on not getting an effect. And before you revive them, I'll activate my face down card, Mystic Space Typhoon! This magic card allows me to destroy one magic or trap card on the field, and I choose your Masked Doll!" A typhoon then appeared and blew right through the magic card. Bakura softly growled in frustration at the fact his card was gone.

"Luster Dragon, attack him directly with Ruby Blaster!" The sapphire dragon took to the air and started powering up. Slowly, ruby energy could be seen forming in his mouth. Finally, it spat a blast of ruby colored energy directly at Bakura.

Bakura quickly acted, yelling "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. Now I pay 1000 life points to return my Sangan (1000/600) from my removed from game pile to the field in defense mode." The small ball of fur then reappeared on the field in a hunched down position.

Slightly growling, Illidan called out "Luster Dragon, redirect your attack at Sangan!" The blast was then redirected towards the small creature. The blast hit, instantly destroying it.

Bakura smiled and said "Now I can draw one monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck and add it to my hand. I choose my Goblin King." "Good for you, but I'm far from done. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his life points directly with Neutron Blast!" The huge three headed dragon began to power up. Lightening filled the ring as the dragon prepared to strike Bakura.

Not at all worried, Bakura said "I activate my Deck Master's special ability. Now I pay 500 life points in order to return Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode." The small fur ball then reappeared in front of Bakura.

Illidan sighed and said "That's fine and dandy. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his Sangan instead with Neutron Blast!" With that the powerful three headed dragon spat three energy blasts. The blasts combined to form a huge blast. The blast incinerated the ball of fur in a flash.

Bakura then said "Now I add Kuriboh to my hand thanks to Sangan's defeat."

Illidan nodded and replied "I end my move." (Illidan 2950, Bakura 2500)

Bakura paused for a moment and then finally drew his next card. "I set one card face down, and then summon my Goblin King (0/0) in defense mode." A green creature, a goblin to be exact, appeared on the field sitting in a throne. It had a royal scepter in his hand and a grin on his face.

Noticing how weak the monster was, Illidan commented "I take it your monster has a special ability, seeing how it would be pointless to summon a weak monster in defense mode."

Bakura only nodded and replied with "That shall end my turn. Attack me if you dare Illidan!" (Illidan 2950, Bakura 2500)

Illidan drew his next card, hoping for something to end this duel fast. He instead drew his Swords of Revealing Light. Sighing, Illidan then began to realize how many turns had passed. "_It's only been a few turns with me and Bakura, but it's taking its toll on me. I need to finish this during this turn. He only has one monster and a face down card. It's time I finish this, and fast!_"

Looking at his hand, he decided he had one card that could end it fast. Smiling, he said "I first return my Sinister Serpent to my hand. Now I play the magic card known as Raigeki! This card destroys all the monsters on your side of the field, so say good bye to Goblin King!" Lightening filled the sky and then suddenly struck the small goblin. It cried out in pain as it finally was destroyed. Bakura only frowned at this action.

"Next it's time to attack. Luster Dragon, direct attack his life points now with Ruby Blaster!" The powerful sapphire dragon took flight and spat a ruby energy ball at Bakura.

Bakura quickly said "I activate my Deck Master's special ability to revive my Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode." Once again, the small fur ball reappeared on the field, blocking the path of the blast that was going to hit Bakura.

Growling slightly, Illidan said "Then I'll redirect my attack at your Sangan then!" The blast continued on, smacking the orange fur ball hard, instantly destroying it.

Bakura smirked and said "Now I draw yet another Kuriboh from my deck."

Illidan nodded, knowing what Bakura was up to. "I use my Deck Master's special ability to attack again, so Luster Dragon, direct attack with Ruby Blaster!" The dragon spat yet another ruby fireball at Bakura.

Instead of using his Deck Master this time, Bakura had other plans of defense. "I discard my Kuriboh in order to protect my life points." He quickly sent the card to the Graveyard, instantly activating a wall of brown fur balls with green arms and feet, and purple eyes. The wall was struck and smoke appeared on the field. Once it lifted, Bakura was left standing unfazed.

Illidan sighed, but said with confidence "It's not over yet Bakura. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, direct attack his life points with Cannon Firestorm!" The huge machine powered up and aimed all it's weaponry at Bakura. It then fired in a huge barrage at Bakura.

At the last moment, Bakura said "I activate my Deck Master's special ability. Now I pay 500 life points in order to resurrect my Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode." As before, the small ball of fur returned to the field, blocking the path to Bakura.

Realizing Bakura couldn't keep paying points, Illidan said "Fine then, attack his Sangan my XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" The blast totally obliterated the small orange fur ball, making it vanish once more.

Bakura smiled and said "Now I draw my third Kuriboh from my deck and add it back to my hand."

Sighing, Illidan realized something. "_Now he has two more Kuriboh's in his hand, each able to block one of my shots. I only have two more monsters to attack with too. I'll make him waste them though, so here goes._"

Looking back at the field, Illidan yelled "Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack with Chaos Scepter Blast!"

Bakura smiled at this, like this is what he'd been waiting for it. As the mage was about to strike, he said "Not so fast Illidan! I activate my Deck Master's special ability, allowing me to return my Sangan to the field in defense mode." Again, the fur ball returned to its usual blocking position.

Smirking, Illidan said "Say good bye to Sangan then! Dark Magician of Chaos, blow it away!" The powerful blast hit the small creature, instantly blowing it apart.

Bakura smirked, saying "Now you've done it Illidan! You've triggered my trap card known as Divine Wrath! This trap allows me to discard one card from my hand in order to negate the effect of a monster. In return, that monster is removed from play as well. So, I discard my Cheerful Coffin card. Say good bye to your Dark Magician of Chaos!" A bolt of lightning flew down from the sky and struck the powerful mage, making him cry out in pain. Illidan then watched in horror as his monster was removed from play.

"Now I add my Jowels of Dark Demise to my hand for Sangan's effect."

Growling, Illidan realized he only had one monster left to attack. Sighing, he yelled "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his life points directly with Neutron Blast!" The huge three headed dragon then began building up its power. Lightening flashed across the field as the dragon prepared for an assault. Finally ready, the three heads spat a huge burst of energy each, which then combined into one huge blast.

Moments before the blast would hit, Bakura said "I discard my Kuriboh in order to take no damage." A wall of brown fur balls then appeared again, absorbing the tremendous amount of energy from the blast. When it was over, the wall was gone and the dragon had failed to break through.

Knowing he had nothing left this turn, Illidan said "I'll end my move now." (Illidan 2950, Bakura 1000)

Bakura nodded and drew his card, saying "It's my move, and I set this monster in defense mode. Next I'll set one card face down. That ends my move." (Illidan 2950, Bakura 1000)

Illidan drew his next card, which was Monster Reborn. Deciding to hold off on using it, he said "First I return Sinister Serpent to my hand. Now I'll activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special effect by discarding Sinister Serpent in order to destroy your face down magic or trap card. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, use Cannon Burst on that card!" Both barrels aimed and fired a blast at the card.

Bakura was quick to say "You triggered my trap. It's Waboku, so you can't destroy my monster this turn, nor damage my life points."

Illidan slightly growled at this annoyance and said "I'll switch my monsters into defense mode and end my move then." (Illidan 2950, Bakura 1000)

Bakura smirked and said "Good, cause it's my turn to take you down. It all starts by this move. I flip summon my monster, which is Jowls of Dark Demise (200/100)." A purple clam like creature then appeared. It had sharp fangs and yellow eyes hidden in darkness.

"Thanks to this monster's flip effect, I can take control of one of your monsters for one turn. So, I take control of your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The little clam like creature then flashed its eyes and reached out with hands covered in darkness. It struck the powerful dragon and dragged it to Bakura's side of the field.

"Also, thanks to Jowls of Dark Demise, this monster can direct attack for this turn. That means you're about to lose the duel thanks to your own monster. I'll first switch your monster into attack mode, and now say good bye to your life points Illidan! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, direct attack Illidan with Neutron Blast!" The mighty dragon powered up and took aim. The three heads then spat a blast each which formed into a huge ball of energy.

Illidan only closed his eyes and smiled, and said "It's over for you Bakura."

Bakura had a look of confusion on his face, and asked "I think you mean it's over for you, right?"

Shaking his head, Illidan replied as he opened his eyes. "No, it's over for you, for I activate this trap! The trap known as Magic Cylinder, which allows me to redirect the attack you made at me directly at your life points!" Two huge pink cylinders then appeared on the field. Each had the opening pointed at Bakura. The huge blast from the three headed dragon entered the first cylinder on the left. The right one then began to glow as the blast shot right back out directly at Bakura.

"NOOOOO!" screamed Bakura as the attack came flying back out at him. It instantly struck him hard, knocking him to the floor completely. His Duel Disk powered down, signifying his loss. The mighty dragon then crossed back over to its rightful place with Illidan.

Slowly, Bakura tried to get up. He was still smoking from the blast and was quite shaky. Unsure if Bakura could make it off himself or not, Tristan and Duke ran down from the stands. They quickly reached him and helped him stand up fully. Before leaving, he turned towards Illidan and smiled. He said with a smile "Good duel Illidan. I never saw that one coming. Good luck with the rest."

Illidan smiled back and replied with "Take care Bakura. I hope you'll be alright."

With that, Duke and Tristan helped Bakura limp off the field.

The judge then declared Illidan the winner and that he gained an additional 1000 life points. He also declared Noa Kaiba to be Illidan's next opponent.

That said, Noa stepped forward into the ring. As before, the judge explained to him what to do. Noa nodded and began to carry out the procedure.

He finally activated his Duel Disk and said with pride in his voice "Come on out Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000)!" The blue skinned angel with golden wings then appeared beside Noa. He then drew his five cards and nodded.

Smiling at Illidan, he said "Good luck Illidan."

Illidan returned the nod and replied with "You too Noa."

He then drew his first card, which was Mage Power. "I'll first return my Sinister Serpent. Next I switch my remaining monsters back into attack mode. Now I'll set one monster. That shall end my turn." (Illidan 3950, Noa 4000)

Smiling, Noa drew and said "Not bad Illidan, but you'll need something better than all those monsters to beat me. I first play the magic card known as Spring of Rebirth. Whenever a monster is returned to a player's hand, I gain 500 life points. Next I'll set one card face down and then summon Inaba White Rabbit (700/500) in attack mode." A white rabbit on a huge jet engine appeared on the field.

"Now I activate the magic card known as Double Attack. Once I discard one monster from my hand, my Inaba can attack twice in one turn. So, I discard my Mystical Elf to the Graveyard, allowing Inaba to attack twice. Now Inaba White Rabbit, direct attack Illidan with Jet Hop!" The small rabbit took to the sky on the jet. It zoomed around Illidan several times till finally it came flying straight at him, smacking him hard in the chest. Illidan grabbed his chest in pain, but remained standing.

"Now it's time I activate this magic card known as Sebek's Blessing. This allows me to increase my life points by the number of life points you lost. But wait, there's more. Now thanks to my Deck Master, I gain the number of life points equal to the damage I inflicted. That means I gain a total of 1400 so far. Now Inaba White Rabbit, direct attack his life points again with Jet Hop!" The white rabbit blasted off again, zooming wildly across the field. He zoomed around Illidan for what felt like eternity for Illidan. Finally, it struck him in the back, knocking him hard to one knee. He sat there gasping for air as Noa laughed at him.

"Now I gain 700 more life points thanks to my Deck Master. That will end my turn, but before I end, my Inaba returns, which means I gain an additional 500 life points thanks to Spring of Rebirth." (Illidan 2550, Noa 6600)


	97. Chapter 97: The Gauntlet, Pt 4

**Hello once more everyone. Well, first off, let me set some things straight for those who think I'm a Tea-hater.**

**To start with, no, I don't hate Tea. True, her speeches get annoying from time to time due that they're sometimes placed at bad times or times that she really don't need to make one, but her speeches do have meaning. Next, Tea is a good character overall, and though I grumbled at her misuse of the cards she had in the second duel she was in (the one with Crump in season 3), she is a decent duelist. She's by far better than Tristan at the least (no, I'm not bashing Tristan so everyone knows, lol).**

**In all, I'm sorry if I did hurt some people's feelings, but it's natural that some characters of shows are not always the favorites. Tea was picked out mostly due that she constantly is giving a speech on friendship, or some other subject. Overall, Tea is a good character, but she's not one of my favorites. Does that mean I should bash her, nah, and I have yet to make one bad comment about her through my story. I think I presented her character as it is in the show for the most part, showing that I have no bias against her. So, again, I apologize to those who dislike me for my comments.**

**If the comments upset anyone to the point that they wish to no longer read my story, then good luck. Personally, I think it's kind of silly to stop reading a fan fic due to an author's opinion on characters, but that's just me I guess. Lol, I know a few author's who constantly bash Kikyo in the Inuyasha fics I read, whom I don't hate, but don't love either, much like Tea, yet I read it for the fic, not the opinion, and many people still present the character unbiased.**

**In closing, I again apologize, but if you read a fic whose author hates or doesn't care too deeply for a certain character, there are clearly two choices you can make. A.) Stop reading and say that person is wrong just cause you disagree with them. B.) Continue reading and ignore that author's opinion. If you like a story that much, ignore the author's comments about characters. I've found many a great fics who have very opinionated authors that bash certain characters, but I've still enjoyed their story. At any rate, I leave that choice with you all, the readers. Do as you please, but to me, it's silly to stop reading a story that you love so much just due to one person's stupid opinion. Lol, it's like reading a book you really love halfway through and then hearing the author has gone to prison for something completely stupid and you get mad and quit reading.**

**Anyways, that is how I see the situation. Either way, I'm fine with it. I love reviews, but as you all know, I'm quite frank and honest with my opinions, so that leaves you the option of taking it or leaving it. I've learned over the years to not care one way or another if my opinion is rejected or not. It comes with the territory of writing I guess.**

**Ok, now that that's out of the way, time to get to the reviews.**

**CWATZ: He's in a bit of trouble, that's for sure. Still, Illidan is tough, so maybe he'll make it. Maybe…**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yes, that was a lot of info. Thanks for the comment. I tried to have Bakura last a good bit longer due that he is one of my favorite characters (I like the spirit of the ring actually, but due that he's gone, I'm stuck with his good side, lol). And yes, poor Kaiba. Once again, he failed to beat Illidan, lol.**

**thehyperactivecow: One word back: Thanks! Lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: He's fighting hard, that's for sure. It's possible he'll run out of cards, but I don't know. That's one thing I worried about when writing the duel, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, well done actually. Noa is strong, but is severely thought to be a push over. And yes, I got your pm. I'll get back with you soon, hopefully.**

**Strawberry Cake: I'm sorry you feel that way, but again, as I said above, I find it rather sad that you'd do that over a simple opinion. As for growing up… Nah, I'll just leave it as it is. I think you can get the idea by the post above.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Sigh I don't hate Tea. If I hated Tea, I'd have had her thrown off the top of the tower the first day, lol. I'm joking of course. As for the speeches, she gave one like every few episodes throughout the seasons, including one. Shrugs Again, check the top, but I'm sorry if my opinion has hurt your feelings.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: It's a possibility that Illidan could deck out. I think I had his deck being like 55 or 60 cards, so that's possible.**

**Well, that's all the reviews for the day. Again, sorry if anyone thinks my opinions are wrong, and that I'm a Tea-basher. I will say it once more, I don't hate Tea. True that I don't like her as well as some other characters, but still, I don't hate her, nor do I show that I do throughout my story. As I said, if you can't look the other way when reading my comments, then go ahead and don't read. I've yet to hold back my opinions, and I sure as hell won't start now due that people don't like what I have to say. I've always said what I felt/thought, so anyone who hates me for stating my personal opinions on characters, well, you can read or decide like some people to stop reading. Shrugs Either way, it don't matter to me.**

**At that, I think I'm done for the night. Today (it's 12:57 a.m. here, aka Saturday), I get to see my fiancé once again (I saw her last night), and I see her most of Sunday as well. Happy days… Anyways, I'm done, so enjoy. And remember, I do enjoy reviews, good or bad. I respect people's opinions to the best of my ability, but when you go about with the name calling, I tend to get riled. Ok, enough of that, so enjoy.**

**Chapter 97**

Illidan sat there on one knee for a few moments. He was still gasping for air. Both shots had hit him hard. After having a tough duel earlier in the day with Joey, and then the night before with staying up so late and then having to deal with Gozaburo, he was getting fatigued, and he knew it. "_I'm more fatigued than I thought I was. So far I've remained untouched till now. Now that I've been hit, I'm fully aware that I'm starting to give out. I don't know if I can keep this up much longer. I have to, but I don't know if I can make it to the end._"

"Illidan, are you going to stay there panting, or are you going to duel? There is some good news at least. I am completely defenseless, so you can take me out if you wish. Come on, try it, you know you want to." taunted Noa.

Illidan glared at Noa's field. "_Well, he was halfway truthful. He only has one face down card, so it maybe easy to take him down after all._"

With some difficulty, Illidan stood up, but was still shaken. His chest and back ached from where Inaba had hit him. He pushed the pain aside and straightened up and drew his card. He glanced at his Kuriboh and smiled. "It's time I take back control of this duel Noa. First I flip summon my face down Spirit Reaper (300/200) into attack mode." A grim reaper like creature in purple then appeared on the field. It held a scythe, making it's whole image complete.

Noa said "Big deal! That creature is too weak to even affect me."

Smirking at Noa's confidence, Illidan said "Next I activate my XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special ability. I discard Sinister Serpent in order to destroy your face down, so XYZ-Dragon Cannon, use Cannon Burst on that card!" The twin barrels aimed and fired at the face down card.

Noa only smirked at this and said "Well, I can see you're smart enough to notice. Now I activate the trap card known as Physical Double! This trap allows me to summon a token known as Mirage Token. Next, I can transform that token into any monster on your side of the field. And I choose your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" A new three headed dragon appeared on Noa's side of the field. He laughed knowing Illidan was trapped.

Instead of seeing Illidan worrying about the monster, he was smirking. Noa said "Why are you smirking? You should be sweating it out because you have no hope of defeating this creature unless you want to destroy your own dragon."

Lightly laughing, Illidan said "How soon you forget about my XYZ-Dragon Cannon though. I can use its special ability again to take care of this nuisance."

Noa then began to sweat, saying "You lie. You wouldn't…"

Smirking, Illidan said "Oh but I would Noa. Now watch as I discard my Sangan from my hand to destroy your Mirage Token! XYZ-Dragon Cannon, use Cannon Burst on his Mirage Token now!" Again, the twin barrels took aim and fired. The blast struck the fake three headed dragon, easily blowing it away. Noa was now nervous, realizing he was finished.

"Time to wrap things up with you Noa. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, direct attack his life points with Neutron Blast!" The huge three headed dragon powered up and then spat three streams of energy. The three combined into one and struck Noa hard, making him slide backwards quite a ways. Finally, the energy settled and Noa was seen with his arms still out in front of him, defending himself best he could. He was shaking and had wisps of smoke coming off of him. Little sparks of energy could still be seen crawling along his body.

"Now for the finale. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, direct attack with Cannon Firestorm!" Taking aim, the huge machine slowly powered up. Finally, it fired a barrage blasts at Noa, which struck him hard, knocking him back into the corner of the Duel Tower. He fell to the ground with a heavy thump.

Tristan and Duke hurried out as fast as they could to help him back up. They finally arrived and checked Noa out. Noa was already slowly getting up, and motioned to the two to let him be. He wasn't really hurt too badly. He had just had the wind knocked out of him. He slowly stood up on shaky legs. He smiled at Illidan as his Duel Disk powered down. He just simply nodded at Illidan and then passed out.

Luckily Tristan and Duke caught his heavy body before he fell over. The put one of each of his arms around their necks and carried the unconscious boy off the field. They kept complaining about how heavy he was. Something about like he felt like a ton of bricks and was as cold as an ice burg.

The judge then declared Illidan the winner of this round and rewarded him with 1000 life points. He then declared the fifth place duelist will now be in the next round. It was to be Marik Ishtar.

Marik strode in and did as the judge instructed him. He finally activated his Duel Disk and called on his Deck Master.

Smiling, he said "It's time to win this one Puppet Master (0/0)!" The odd looking puppet then appeared beside Marik, screeching as he did so appear. Marik then drew his cards and looked up at Illidan.

With a smile still on his face, he kindly said "Good luck with this duel Illidan, cause you know Ra is waiting for you."

Illidan smiled, knowing very well he could face the God Card. Smirking, he replied with "We'll see. Good luck Marik."

The judge interrupted the two and said "Begin!"

Illidan drew his next card and smiled. It was his Slate Warrior. Seeing how he didn't want to summon anything, he said "I'll end my move." (Illidan 3550, Marik 4000)

Marik nodded and drew his card. A big smirk came across his face, saying "You're finished Illidan. Say good bye to your chances of surviving this duel. I now play the magic card known as Cheerful Coffin, which allows me to discard up to 3 monsters from my hand. So, I discard my Dark Elf (2000/800), Lord Poison (1500/1000), and my Revival Jam (1500/500) to the Graveyard. Now I activate my Deck Master's special ability, allowing me to resurrect all three monsters to the field in defense mode at a cost of 1500 life points. So, return my three monsters!" All three monsters reappeared. First a black haired elf in teal robes and light gold trim on them. Next a brownish creature that looked like a stream of poison and that had razor claws appeared. Finally, the familiar blue plasma monster reappeared in a gush.

"Now you're finished Illidan. I sacrifice all three in order to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra (2000 + 1500 + 1500 5000/800 + 1000 + 500 2300)!" The three monsters flew up into the sky and disappeared. Then suddenly a huge golden orb appeared in the sky. It glowed so brightly that the field was covered in blinding light.

Illidan stared in horror, knowing what this meant business was about to pick up, and in a big way.

"Tremble in fear Illidan, as I prepare to summon the great beast that shall destroy you. Great Beast of the sky please hear my cry, transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. Envelope the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe. Appear in this game as I call your name... Winged Dragon of Ra!" The sphere then began to slowly transform. Huge arms and legs appeared, as the head of a dragon appeared as well. Finally, huge wings formed and the great dragon was formed at long last. It roared with great power, shaking the tower itself.

"It's time to finish this Illidan. And what better way than to win than by wiping out your weakest monster. You should have switched him into defense mode Illidan. Now it's too late."

Illidan knew which monster Marik was going on about. It was Illidan's Spirit Reaper that was still in attack mode. With only a measly 300 attack points against Ra's 5000 attack points, Illidan would easily lose.

"The time has finally come! Winged Dragon of Ra, use your Blaze Cannon to annihilate Illidan's Spirit Reaper!" A huge sphere of fire appeared on the dragon's back. Slowly, the sphere transferred it's energy up two cables that were connected to the great dragon's head. The energy fed directly into it's mouth. After fully powering up, the dragon released a shot of powerful energy straight at the grim reaper creature. The blast flew through the air with incredible speed. Soon, it was only a short distance away.

"IT'S OVER ILLIDAN!" screamed Marik.

Illidan only chuckled at Marik's statement and replied with "Oh really Marik? I discard my Kuriboh from my hand, allowing me to change the damage I'd receive to zero. That means I'm still in this duel!" Marik watched in shock as a protective wall of brown fur balls with purple eyes formed around the grim reaper creature. The energy blast hit the wall hard, blowing every single fur ball upon impact. The only problem was, the blast didn't make it through the wall. After the smoke cleared, there stood the grim reaper creature, as well as Illidan. None of Illidan's life points had been drained.

Smirking at this, Illidan said "By the way, thanks to Spirit Reaper's special effect, he remains on the field, so nice try."

Marik was shocked that he'd made such a bad mistake, especially on his first turn. Sighing, and hoping this wouldn't cost him the duel, he said "I'll end my move. It won't matter though. Ra is stronger than all your monsters on your side of the field Illidan. And don't even think your little Dragon Cannon can take Ra on, cause God Cards too strong for that." (Illidan 3550, Marik 2500)

Illidan drew his next card calmly. He brought it up for a quick glance. It was his Pot of Greed card. Glancing at Marik's field, Illidan slowly began to set up a strategy. "_I have Mage Power in my hand, but the problem is Marik could strengthen his God Card as well. Hmm, I could use Mage Power to strengthen Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. At most, I could strengthen it right now by 2000 attack and defense points. That means my dragon would have 6500 attack points. The problem is Marik could use his Deck Master to resurrect his monsters and then sacrifice them to Ra, increasing it's strength to 10000, meaning I'd be out of luck._"

Deciding to try his luck with Pot of Greed, he said "Watch this Marik. I first activate my Pot of Greed magic card, allowing me to draw two new cards." Looking at his deck, Illidan silently said in his thoughts "_Please Heart of the Cards, guide me. Allow me to draw the cards I need to win this round!_"

Illidan closed his eyes and drew. He was running on nothing but faith in order to beat Marik's Ra. He held the two cards in his hand and opened his eyes. He was so surprised to see what he had. "_MY EXCHANGE AND UNITED WE STAND! Now I can win this round. I have to be careful though. Even though I have enough cards to power up my dragon, I have to assess how strong his dragon can be. Hmm, if Marik resurrects his three monsters, his God Card will gain 5000 attack points, making it a grand total of 10000 points. But it has another special ability as I remember. He called it Point-to-Point. It transfers his own life points to his dragon's attack points. If he resurrected his three monsters, he'd have only 1000 life points left. That means his God Card would have at most 10999 attack points, seeing how he needs 1 life point to be considered able to continue. That means I need 11000 attack points to beat his God Card and to win the round. Hmm, how many can I muster. Let's see, I can first decide which monster I want to use. I have no choice but to use Seto's dragon. It has 4500 attack points, a very good start. Next I have four face up monsters. That means thanks to United We Stand, I can gain up to 3200 attack points, which raises my dragon's points to 7700. That's not so bad. Then I could follow up with Mage Power. I could set all the cards I have in my hand on the field. That means I'd have 4 total magic and trap, which gives my dragon an additional 2000 attack points, raising it to 9700. But I'm still short. I need more. Hmm, but where do I get more? Wait, my Dark Magician of Chaos! I can use my Deck Master to get him back, and then I get another magic card. That'll be exactly 11000 if I get both! Perfect!_"

"Prepare to lose this round Marik." Illidan said boldly.

Marik only laughed, saying "I don't think so Illidan. You have no way to take down my God Card. Ra will tear you up and any plan you try to formulate. Try whatever it is you're scheming, but my Winged Dragon of Ra will conquer you in the end."

Illidan only smirked at Marik's over confidence in his God Card. Smiling, he said "First I play the magic card known as United We Stand, and I'll equip it to my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! This raises the attack and defense points by 800 per a face up monster on my side of the field (7700/7000)." The dragon began to glow with a multicolored glow as it's power rose greatly. It roared, trying to frighten the God Card.

Marik only chuckled, and asked in a mocking tone "Is that all you got Illidan? You're going to lose that battle far before you start it then. Now I activate my Deck Master's special ability, allowing me to give up 1500 life points in order to resurrect three of my monsters in defense mode. So, I give up the life points to bring back Dark Elf (2000/800), Lord Poison (1500/1000), and Revival Jam (1500/500) in defense mode each." The three monsters then reappeared on the field, each taking a position around Ra.

"Now I activate Ra's special ability. I sacrifice all three monsters to increase his strength (5000 + 2000 + 1500 + 1500 10000/2300 + 800 + 1000 + 500 4600)!" The powerful God Card grabbed each monster, easily absorbing their strength. One by one, they were absorbed and Ra's strength increased. Finally, when Ra had 10000 attack points, it roared, declaring it's superiority over Illidan's dragon, which seemed to cower slightly at the mighty God Card's awesome power.

Illidan only smirked at Marik's move, which made Marik ask "Find something funny Illidan? I wouldn't laugh if I was facing the most powerful God Card. Hurry up and finish your move so I can take you out."

Illidan only chuckled, and responded with "You're wrong Marik. I'm far from done. Watch as I set these two cards face down. Next I play the magic card known as Mage Power, and I'll equip it to my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! This card allows me to add 500 additional points to my dragon per every magic or trap card I have on the field. Since I have four, he gains 2000 more points (9700/9000)!" Again, the powerful dragon began to glow with a multicolored light as it's power increased. It roared louder, getting up the nerve to challenge Ra's power.

Marik only laughed and said "Is that all you got Illidan? Your pathetic dragon is still 300 attack points weaker than my God Card!"

Chuckling, Illidan said "You think so huh? Well, watch this. I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. This allows me to pay 1000 life points in order to revive my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) to the field!" The powerful black armored mage then remade his entrance to the field.

"That adds an additional 800 points to my dragon now (10500/9800)!" The dragon glowed once again and roared at Ra, showing it had no fear now of the God Card.

Marik only slightly growled in frustration, but Illidan continued on. "Next I return one magic card from my Graveyard thanks to my Dark Magician of Chaos. I'll return my Change of Heart card."

Marik only growled and interrupted with "Well, I see you're serious about challenging my God Card. Now I'll put an end to this by doing the one thing that will keep you from winning. I activate Ra's special ability known as Point-to-Point! This allows me to transfer my life points to Ra's attack points. So, I transfer all but 1 life point to Ra (10999/5599). Try and top that!" Ra only roared with power as it grew stronger once again.

Illidan only smirked and said "You don't get it, do you Marik? I have already won. And it's due to this move. I set one card face down on the field, automatically adding an additional 500 points to my dragon thanks to Mage Power (11000/10300)!" Roaring with the new found power, the three headed dragon glared at the God Card.

Marik suddenly realized he was trapped. He yelled "NO! I'm trapped! You… you lead me into this, didn't you?"

Illidan only smirked and nodded, saying "It's time Ra is destroyed. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his Winged Dragon of Ra with Neutron Blast!" The mighty three headed dragon prepared to fire. Lightening filled the field. All three heads were building up incredible amounts of energy. Finally, the three fired their energy streams, which all collided and formed on huge blast. The blast hurtled towards the golden dragon. The blast struck the powerful golden dragon hard, causing the entire tower to shutter as the blast struck. The blast grinded away on the golden dragon till finally it went straight through it's chest and out his back. The mighty golden dragon screamed out in pain as it came crashing down towards the ground. When it struck the field, the tower shook with great force as the Egyptian God exploded into millions of pieces.

Marik's remaining life point was instantly wiped out and his Duel Disk powered down. He looked in horror as God Card had been defeated. Finally, he gathered up his wits and smiled, and said "Good duel Illidan. You never cease to amaze me. Good luck with the others."

Illidan nodded and replied with "Thanks Marik. Good luck in the final 10-way duel as well." Marik then walked on off the field.


	98. Chapter 98: The Gauntlet, Pt 5

**Chapter 98**

Illidan smiled at the fact he'd won six rounds so far. He had three more to go, but he was doing well at the moment. Suddenly, he felt weak and about fell over. "_What was that? Man, I must be more fatigued than I thought. After all, with little sleep and lots of tough duels, I'm getting exhausted. I have to hurry up and wrap things up before I lose it._" his thoughts raced.

Up in the stands, Yugi's friends looked on. Duke suddenly said "He may not last."

Tristan, Serenity, and Tea looked up at Duke with puzzled looks. Tristan bluntly said "What do you mean Duke?"

Duke looked at the others and replied with "I'm talking about Illidan. He's getting tired."

"But he's won all his rounds so far, and has almost all his life points. He should be fine, right?" asked Tea.

Duke shook his head and replied with "You're wrong Tea. Illidan has been dueling longer than the others. Today, he faced Joey and had a tough duel with him. Then he faced six duelists so far in these duel. Each round a fresh opponent has come in to take a fallen one's place. Meanwhile, Illidan has been stuck fighting for a long time. While they're fresh, he's being worn down. Dueling for so long will take its toll, and I think the direct attacks Noa made really took a lot of the wind out of his sails. He's clinging desperately to his field advantage, which does help him, but still, he's so fatigued he may make a mistake. Joey may have a chance, but it's still a shame Illidan is so worn down when he faces him."

Serenity and Tea only nodded, while Tristan looked on in concern. Their new friend was one of the most amazing duelists they'd ever seen, about as amazing, if not more, than Yugi even. Even though they were friends now, they still hoped Joey would win, but in the weakened condition Illidan was in, Joey wouldn't take pride in that kind of win.

Finally, Tristan sighed and just smiled, saying "He's not done yet Duke. He may put up more of a fight than we're thinking. I wouldn't be surprised if he did."

Duke chuckled lightly and nodded, hoping that Tristan was right for Illidan's sake.

Back on the field, Illidan was still feeling the pain from Noa's direct attack. "_I'm in trouble I think. Things seem to be getting slightly blurry at times, but I have to remain standing and fight on. Besides, I have a field advantage for now. As long as I can keep that, I'll be fine._"

"Will the fourth ranked duelist now come forward." The judge announced, immediately interrupting Illidan's thoughts.

Joey came forward, a big grin on his face and a load of confidence in his eyes. The judge instructed him on what to do and Joey proceeded to follow orders.

He finally arrived at his dueling position and activated his Duel Disk. With a smile as usual, he said "Flame Swordsman (1800/1600), let's kick some butt!" The orange and blue clothed warrior then appeared, with his huge red sword on his back.

Joey drew his first five cards and said to Illidan "Alright Illidan, let's continue where we left off earlier. You may have more monsters out, but I'll still put up a good fight. Good luck man."

Illidan grinned and replied with "Good luck Joey."

He then drew his next card and smiled slightly at his second Blade Knight. He went ahead and placed it back in his hand and said "I'll switch my Spirit Reaper and Luster Dragon into defense mode. That is all for me Joey." (Illidan 3550, Joey 4000)

Joey nodded and drew, saying "Good, cause it's my move now. I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards." Joey quickly drew the two and a big Cheshire cat grin appeared on his face.

"I first summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600)!" A black iron coated knight then appeared on the field, wielding a huge iron sword like arm.

"Next I play Release Restraints, transforming Gearfried the Iron Knight into Gearfried the Swordmaster (2600/2300)!" The knight jumped up into the air and yelled out as his armor glowed. Finally, the armor exploded, revealing a warrior with quite muscular features. His long black hair fell down his back and his piercing eyes looked at the field.

"Now I equip him with Axe of Despair, which raises his attack points by 1000 points (3600/2300)." An axe then appeared on the field. The warrior grabbed the axe and gave it a good swing around to make sure he could wield it easily.

"Of course, you know what this does already. By equipping my monster with a magic card, he can automatically destroy one monster on the field. I'll choose your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The powerful warrior then aimed his axe for the dragon and swung it through the air, sending a huge energy wave at the dragon. Roaring in pain, the powerful dragon finally exploded.

Illidan only slightly growled at this, but quickly remembered something. "_Not to worry, I have Monster Reborn still, so no problem._"

"Without your dragon, you're toast Illidan. Now Gearfried, attack his XYZ-Dragon Cannon with Despair Axe Swing!" The warrior quickly crossed the field and swung his axe. He chopped the powerful machine monster in half easily with one strike. The huge machine had sparks flying everywhere and finally exploded.

"You're so finished Illidan. Next I'll set one card face down and end my move. Just try and attack me now." (Illidan 2750, Joey 4000)

Illidan calmly drew his next card. He glanced at it and was ever so happy to see Jinzo. Smiling, he said "Time to give you some pay back Joey. It starts by me sacrificing my Spirit Reaper in order to summon Jinzo (2400/1500)!" The small little grim reaper creature disappeared and was replaced by the powerful cyborg in green and black that simply folded his arms on his chest as usual.

"Now all your trap cards are useless."

Joey replied back "Yeah, well, so are yours."

Illidan only laughed, saying "True Joey, that is if I had any trap cards down. Now watch as I reveal Change of Heart! This allows me to take control of your Gearfried the Swordmaster!" Joey gasped as his powerful warrior went to Illidan's side, now staring at him.

"That's not all. Now I reveal my Monster Reborn card, allowing me to return the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800) to the field!" The huge three headed dragon then reappeared, roaring at Joey.

"It's over Joey! I switch Luster Dragon into attack mode next. Now Luster Dragon, direct attack his life points with Ruby Blaster!" The powerful sapphire dragon took flight and spat a ball of ruby energy at Joey directly.

Joey only smiled and clicked a button on his Duel Disk. "Not so fast Illidan! I reveal my magic card Scapegoat, automatically special summoning 4 Scapegoat Tokens (0/0) to the field to defend me. Try and get through those!" Four goat creatures then took the field, blocking the way to Joey.

Smiling, Illidan yelled "Gladly! Luster Dragon, redirect your attack at a goat!" Ruby colored energy struck the small goat, easily blowing it up.

"Dark Magician of Chaos, use Chaos Slice on a goat!" Magical energy built up around the powerful mage. He then brought his staff up and made a striking like move. A blade of energy formed from it and sliced a poor goat in half.

"Gearfried the Swordmaster, attack a goat with Despair Axe Swing!" Letting out a mighty battle cry, the warrior quickly ran across the field and sliced a goat in half with his axe.

"Now Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his final goat with Neutron Blast!" Each head of the dragon powered up, causing lightening to form on the field. Finally, the three fired a blast each which collected into one huge blast, instantly crushing the goat.

Now Joey was wide open. He sighed, knowing his fate. Smiling, he said "Go ahead Illidan, finish it."

Illidan nodded and looked at his dragon, saying "Thanks to my last attack, my Deck Master allows my dragon to attack again, so Ultimate Dragon, use Neutron Blast on his life points directly!" The dragon let loose another powerful blast. This one headed straight for Joey.

"JOEY!" came out a scream.

Illidan looked up to see it was Serenity, Joey's sister, who had a look of concern on her face. Joey smiled at her and then quickly put his arms up in a defensive stance. The blast hit him hard, knocking him completely down. Once the smoke cleared, Joey's life points were down to zero. His Duel Disk then powered down.

Slowly, Joey got up as small bolts of electricity were still coming off him, but he was alright, for the most part. He smiled and gave Illidan thumbs up. He then slowly limped on off the field.

The judge then cleared his throat and declared Illidan the winner of the round. He then granted Illidan another 1000 life points and declared the next duelist to enter would be the third ranked one, Marie.

Marie slowly walked onto the field and saw that Illidan was growing tired. Silently, she said in her mind "_It's no real big surprise. I'm surprised he's even able to keep this up. I figured by now he'd be too weak to duel. I just hope he can make it to the end. I'd hate to see him lose the duel._"

The judge then interrupted her and instructed her on what to do. She complied and shuffled her deck and made her way to her position. Once there, she stuck her deck in her Duel Disk and then activated it. It unfolded and powered up.

Ready as she would ever be, she said "Alright Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000), it's time to win this one." The beautiful pink skinned angel appeared. Its golden wings shined greatly as she smiled at her master.

Marie then drew her 5 cards and said to Illidan "You alright Illidan?"

Illidan smiled and nodded. Even though he was extremely tired, and weakening still, he had more than enough strength to win this duel. "_Just have to last a little longer now body. I have to make it. If I fail, the whole world could be in jeopardy, and I can't risk that!_"

Putting his pain aside, Illidan smiled and said "I'm far from alright, but I'll make it. Let's do this."

Marie smiled, knowing Illidan was in pain, but was ignoring it. She nodded and said "Let's do it then!"

Illidan drew his new card and smiled at Dark Hole. Placing it in his hand with the rest of his cards, he said "I'll start by switching my Luster Dragon into defense mode, and then I end my move." (Illidan 3750, Marie 4000)

Marie smiled and drew her card. Her smile grew larger as she made her move, saying "I start by summoning my The Agent of Creation – Venus (1600/0) in attack mode." An angel with golden wings and golden skin then appeared. She had three spheres around her. One was red, another blue, and the third purple.

"Next I activate her special effect. I can now give up 500 life points to special summon a monster known as Mystical Shine Ball to the field. So, I'll give up 1500 life points to pull them from my deck and to special summon three Mystical Shine Ball's (500/500) in defense mode each." Three spheres of light then appeared on the field. A cloud seemed to form around them.

"Next I'll play the field card known as Luminous Spark, which increases all light monsters attack points by 500, but lose 400 defense points. That means my monsters, as well as yours, that are light attribute get a power boost." The three headed dragon then roared as its points increased (5000/3400), as did the powerful warrior (3100/1900). The three spheres of light then each glowed with more power (1000/100). Finally, the golden skinned angel glowed with more power (2100/0).

"Now I equip the magic card known as Cestus of Dagla to my Venus, increasing her attack points by 500 (2600/0)." A small necklace then appeared around the angel's neck, enhancing her power.

"Venus, attack Jinzo with Tri-Sphere Beam!" The three spheres that were surrounding the angel then moved forward. She brought her hands up and pushed energy into all three, which then responded by firing a beam each, which eventually combined into a multicolored blast. The cyborg was hit head on and was easily taken down.

"Thanks to my Cestus of Dagla, I can now gain the life points you lost. So, I gain 200 points. Then my Deck Master's special ability kicks in. It adds Jinzo's attack points to my life points, which means I just gained 2600 total points. Finally, I'll set three cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 3350, Marie 6600)

All Illidan could do was growl as he had lost life points, and Marie had gained a bunch. In his mind, he said "_Her Deck Master is one of the toughest to beat, but I can if I try. I have to beat her in order to win this duel. And I know the way. I'll use Seto's dragon to crush her Venus. Once it's gone, she'll have three Mystical Shine Ball's left. With only 100 defense points each, they'll be easy to take out. Her face down cards do worry me though. They could be trouble. I have take a chance though._"

Illidan drew his next card and sighed. It was his Thunder Nyan Nyan. Knowing it was useless, he placed it back in his hand and in a rash decision, said "It's time I take back the control of this duel, and it begins with this attack. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack her Venus with Neutron Blast!" All three heads roared and began to power up. Lightening filled the ring as the three heads of the dragon prepared for an assault. Finally, all three fired their blast which combined into a huge ball of energy. As the blast neared her golden skinned angel, Marie smiled.

She then yelled out "You must be getting sluggish in the brain Illidan, because you should have seen I set a trap. I activate this trap card, my Shift! This trap allows me to switch which monster you attack, so I'll switch the target to my Mystical Shine Ball." The blast from the three headed dragon immediately was blocked by one of the balls of light.

"But I'm far from done Illidan. I activate another trap known as Enchanted Javelin! This trap adds the attack points of the attacking monster to my life points!" A small javelin then appeared in front of the blast that was about to strike the small ball of light. The blast seemed somewhat absorbed by the javelin before it continued on to the ball of light. Once the light ball was destroyed, Marie's life points went up by 5000 points.

Growling in frustration, Illidan said "I may have made that mistake, but this one is far from one! Thanks to my Deck Master, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon can now attack once more. Dragon, attack her Venus with Neutron …"

Before he could finish, Marie said "Not so fast Illidan! I activate another trap. This one is known as Zero Gravity. It now switches all the monsters on both sides of the field's positions. That means your attack is cancelled out, and your monsters go to defense mode, well, all but your Luster Dragon which goes to attack mode. Mine on the other hand, other than Venus, go to attack. Venus goes to defense though."

Illidan growled in frustration as his vision blurred for a moment. Shaking his head, he realized he had to finish Marie soon or he'd probably not be able to finish. He quickly said "Luster Dragon, attack her Venus with your Ruby Blaster!" The sapphire dragon took off from the ground and spat a ball of ruby energy at the defensive fairy. With 0 defense points, she was easily overcome.

"That ends my move." (Illidan 3350, Marie 11500)


	99. Chapter 99: The Gauntlet, Pt 6

**Hello once more everyone. Sorry for being missing in action the last two days. Sunday, I just had no time to post chapters due that I went with my fiancé up to where she had to start work at, which took all day. It was a freaking 4 hour drive that was supposed to be 2 and half! Damn mountains in West Virginia and Maryland are fucking larger than I remembered! But we got there, but I didn't get to spend much time there before I had to leave. I was rather sad, as was Cindy. She let it show, and I felt so bad for having to leave, but I had work today, so I had no choice. I hadn't realized how much it had been bothering me till I was a mile down the road, where I proceeded to break down and cry for a good while. I've rarely cried, not due that I was trying to be macho or whatever, but just due that things have rarely gotten to me. This is like the second time in the last few months, both over this whole thing. Sigh It may hurt now, but I know things will work out soon. I just hope real soon…**

**Anyways, then this morning, I tried to post, but stupid was down! I tried, and tried, and tried, but nothing! So, finally I gave up and went to work. When I got home, I had a killer headache and went to bed instead. That now leads me to now, lol.**

**At any rate, I see I got a good bit of reviews and comments. I'm glad people had things to say. I guess I should try to now respond to them.**

**CWATZ: Yep, he's a fighter, and will fight till the end, but he has two tough competitors left to fend off. Will he make it or not, you'll find out soon, lol.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thank you for your comments, but don't worry about it. As I said last time, it don't hurt my feelings one way or another if someone wants to stop reading due that they dislike my opinions. To me, it's stupid to stop reading something good due to the writer's opinion on something, but that's me. But again, thanks for your comments. Lol, your reply reminds me of how I usually reply to stuff.**

**thehyperactivecow: Lol, yeah, Illidan and Marik fought hard, and Illidan had to think hard to win that one. Marie is one tough girl, so he has to think even harder on her. Actually, Illidan does have cards left. Of course, not many, but some. His deck was about 50-60 cards in size I believe. I actually checked that to make sure it was fair and all, and made sure not to run him out of cards. Thanks for the comments.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, he's pretty cooked. He's been dueling so long that it's taking it's toll. And yeah, that's something I thought of as well, but I thought about that before I saw that episode, like I think I was watching when Yami lost his duel when I thought of this idea. Lol, hilariously enough, I when I saw the episode with Joey, I was like "Hey, they stole my idea!" As for writing that duel for you, I sent you a pm about it, and I'll try. If you think it can wait a few days, I might be able to, so let me know either way.**

**Strawberry Cake: It's alright. I don't mind, but I don't like people to leave mad just due to my opinions. Lol, as I said, I can't see leaving a story that you like over an author's opinion. But it's all good. Yeah, Illidan's worn out, and about dead tired. He may make it to the end… or not, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Alright, lol. You don't have to respect it, for you could always ignore it, lol. Thanks for the comment though, and yeah, Ryou lasted a while. Lol, poor Marik. Watches Ryou dancing due to happiness.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, he took the two of them quickly, but had to work hard on Marik. Marie is tough, and that Deck Master of hers just makes it nearly impossible to take her down to zero.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Yeah, Illidan does have quite a dilemma at the moment. Possibly he'll make it though, but who knows. Thanks for your comments as well.**

**Well, that's all I have for tonight. Hmm, I guess since I didn't post yesterday, today, and I have to post tomorrow, I'll post two chapters tonight, and two Friday. That way, I'll be able to get back into the swing of the seven chapters a week deal. Hmm, wince when did I start posting a chapter a day? Oh well, I don't mind, lol. It's great due that everyone loves this thing. Thanks for all the support guys and girls. Later.**

**Chapter 99**

Marie drew and smiled at her card, and said "It's my move again and I activate the magic card known as Card of Demise. This card allows me to draw five new cards, but I must discard my entire hand in five turns. That shouldn't be a problem though seeing how I have you against the ropes already. Now I sacrifice my two remaining Mystical Shine Ball's in order to summon my secret weapon in this tournament!"

Illidan gave a puzzled look at Marie, curious about what she meant by that. "_I have no idea what she means. What secret weapon?_" he silently thought.

"I now summon my Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500)!" A huge dark orange dragon with massive wings then appeared on the field in a burst of flames. It roared at the remaining monsters on Illidan's side and Marie only smiled.

"This dragon is very special to me, and I'll use it to win this duel, once and for all. You'll see Illidan. You're going down!"

Illidan was still shocked that she had something other than a fairy in her deck. Suddenly it hit him in a memory. This was the monster that had been connected to her soul since ancient times. He smiled, knowing she was trying to reconnect with her past by using this dragon.

With that smile still on his face, he said "We'll see about that one Marie."

She only smirked at his comment and then pointed at the field, yelling "Tyrant Dragon, attack Illidan's Luster Dragon with Tyrant Flame!" The mighty dragon roared and shot a blast of fire at the smaller sapphire dragon. The blast easily incinerated the smaller dragon, causing it to cry out in pain as it finally blew up. Illidan only cringed as he lost life points due that his dragon was in attack mode.

"Now I activate my Tyrant Dragon's special ability. I can now attack a second time as long as you have another monster on the field. So Tyrant Dragon, attack his Gearfried the Swordmaster with Tyrant Flame!" The dragon roared once more and fired another stream of fire, this time at the mighty warrior. He was easily succumbed by the blast, just like the smaller dragon had been.

"Finally, I'll place two cards face down and end my move. I'd be in fear of my dragon, Illidan, for it will be what takes me to the top in this duel." (Illidan 2350, Marie 11500)

Illidan about fell over once she ended her move. He held his head for a moment, for his vision had blurred yet again. His mind was racing, realizing he was nearly out of strength at long last. "_No, I can't run out of gas now. I have to keep pressing on._"

After a moment, he finally got his vision back to normal and stood back up straight. "_If I don't stop her this turn, I may never stop her. I just hope I can draw something useful. Heart of the Cards, please guide me._"

He then drew his next card and looked at it. It was his Heavy Storm, the perfect thing to help him win. Smiling, he said "First I set one card face down on the field. Next I'll set a monster in defense. Now I activate my old face down magic card, Exchange. This forces us both to look at one another's hand. We can then each take one card from the other. So, let's do some swapping."

Illidan walked over to the center of the field, meeting Marie in the middle.

Smiling, he said "I'll even let you pick first Marie, so you can see how much of a gentleman I am."

Marie laughed and looked at his hand. Nothing but monsters was in it, so she finally picked Thunder Nyan Nyan, seeing how she had all light monsters.

She then showed her hand to him, saying "Now look at mine." She had Sanctuary of the Sky and Reversal Quiz in her hand.

Smiling with mischief in his eyes, he said "I'll take Reversal Quiz."

He grabbed the card, leaving Marie with a look of worry on her face. With that, both returned to their positions. Looking at his hand one more time, Illidan decided it was worth the risk.

"Now I'll activate the card I just laid face down. It's my Heavy Storm, which destroys all magic and trap cards currently on the field!" A huge gust then blew up, instantly destroying Luminous Spark, which caused the powerful three headed dragon to lose power (4500/3800), and Marie's two face down cards to blow away. When both were blown up, it was revealed that one was Negate Attack and the other was Draining Shield.

She yelled "No! I needed those cards to stop your dragon! Darn you!"

Illidan only chuckled at her frustration, saying "It's about to get worse. Now I activate the magic card I took from you. I play Reversal Quiz! Due to it's effect, I discard my entire hand. Now that I have a nice empty hand, I draw one card from my deck. I have to declare what kind of card it is, which is either monster, magic, or trap. So, here is the moment of truth."

Illidan closed his eyes and hoped he hadn't just ruined his chances at winning the round, let alone the rest of the duel. "_No, I have to stay strong. Heart of the Cards, please guide me!_"

Smiling, he opened his eyes and said "It's a monster card." He then slowly drew his card. He slowly and painstakingly brought the card up to his face. There it was, his Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End. A big smile came on his face at the sight. He then showed it to Marie, who could only gasp. Suddenly the tables were turned on her and she had no way out.

"Looks like I now switch my life points with you. So, I now have 11500 life points, while you have only 2550 points. It's time to rap things up. I now switch my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Dark Magician of Chaos into attack mode. Now Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack her Tyrant Dragon with Neutron Blast!" Marie had a look of fear on her face as the huge three headed dragon powered up. Each head opened jaws as raw energy started sparking from it. The field was covered in lightening, sending bolts every which way. Finally, the mighty three headed dragon shot a beam each. The three beams combined into one huge blast which struck the large dark orange dragon. It roared in pain as the blast washed over it. The pain was easily put to rest as it exploded.

"It's time to finish this Marie, once and for all. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack her directly with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The powerful mage twirled his staff and then fired a huge ball of energy. It struck Marie, who had put her arms up in defense. She slid back and fell down finally to her knees. Her life point counter ran to zero and then her Duel Disk powered down. Hints of tears formed at her eyes but she quickly brushed them away.

Smiling, she said "Congratulations Illidan. Now you have one last test before you win. Good luck."

Illidan nodded and replied with "Thanks Marie. That was an excellent duel."

She then stood back up and walked off the field and towards the stands.

The judge then declared Illidan the winner of the round and granted him an additional 1000 life points. He then declared the final duelist was about to enter. The number two ranked duelist then entered.

Slowly, Yugi walked with a purpose to the field. In a flash of golden light, Yugi transformed into Yami.

The judge then instructed Yami on what to do. Yami shuffled his deck and then proceeded to his spot.

Smiling at Illidan, Yami said "Destiny throws us together again today Illidan. Perhaps this time it's on my side."

Illidan only smirked at his friends comment, saying "We'll know soon enough I guess."

Yami then activated his Duel Disk. Once it had unfolded and lit up, he cried out "Dark Magician (2500/2100), come forth!" The mage in purple robes then appeared at Yami's side. Yami proceeded to draw his 5 cards and nodded.

He said with kindness in his voice "Good luck Illidan."

Illidan nodded back and replied with "Good luck to you too Yami. Let's Duel!"

He then drew his next card. He looked at it and suddenly his vision went blurry again. Shaking his head, Illidan tried hard to concentrate. Lightly growling, he said in his mind "_I'm almost there. Come on body, don't give out on me now. I only have to beat Yami and I'm done. I just have to last a little longer._"

He then concentrated harder and his eyes focused again. He then looked at his second Spirit Reaper. "I'll set one monster and end my move." (Illidan 12500, Yami 4000)

Yami drew his card and glanced at it, before saying "My move then Illidan. I summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in defense mode." A young female knight with blonde hair and pink armor then appeared on the field in a defensive stance. She had her shield and sword ready to intercept any attacks.

"Now I play the magic card Swords of Revealing Light, stopping your attacks for three whole turns!" Swords made of a pure light energy rained down in front of Illidan's monsters and in front of himself.

"Finally, I'll place one card face down. That shall end my move." (Illidan 12500, Yami 4000)

As Yami ended, Illidan's eyes lost focus again. He about fell forward, but luckily caught himself. He put his hand up to his head, realizing he was about to probably pass out if he didn't hurry up and end this duel. "_I have a move that can end this right now. I just hope it works. If not, I'll be in real trouble._"

Illidan then began to draw his next card, but noticed his hand was shaking and he didn't seem to have the strength to draw the card. Silently gasping, his mind began racing. "_This isn't good. I'm so weak that I'm having trouble drawing a card. Come on, I have to hang in there. I can't let this stop me now._"

Finally, Illidan summoned enough strength to draw his next card. He glanced at his Valkyrion the Magna Warrior card and placed it in his hand, deciding he had to finish this duel here and now. Grabbing another card, he said "It's time I finish this duel up, and it starts by me summoning this monster. I now remove from play my Jinzo and Blade Knight from my Graveyard, allowing me to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" The huge black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field. It's black wings spread and it roared at Yami.

"Now I activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's special effect. By giving up 1000 life points, I can now destroy everything on the field and in our hands. Then the total cards destroyed are added up and then multiplied by 300, which is then deducted from your life points. Chaos Emperor Dragon, use your Infinite Blaster!" Quickly flying to the middle of the field, the mighty dragon roared and began to glow with power. Suddenly, the dragon exploded, destroying Yami and Illidan's cards on the field and in their hands.

"I had a total of one card in my hand. I also had five monsters on the field, so a total of six cards altogether. Next you had three cards on the field and three in your hand, making another total of six cards as well. The grand total is twelve cards. Now we multiply that by 300 and get 3600 points. That means you lose all those life points."

Yami's life points then dropped drastically by the news, but Yami chuckled, saying "You've failed to stop me totally though Illidan. I still have a chance to win this duel next turn."

Illidan smiled at Yami's hope. It was only Yami's false hope. His eyes blurred for a second, but focusing quickly, Illidan said "I don't think so Yami. Now I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. I'm allowed to give up 1000 life points in order to special summon one Chaos monster. So, I resurrect my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)!" The powerful black armor clad mage then reappeared on the field, striking a fighting pose.

"Next I return one magic card from my Graveyard. I'll choose my Mystical Space Typhoon, just in case you try to use your little magic act. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack his life points directly with Chaos Scepter Blast!" With that, the mighty mage brought up his staff and fired a large ball of black energy at Yami. Seeing that Illidan had the advantage, Yami took the blast head on, draining him of all his life points. Once the smoke cleared, Yami smiled. His Duel Disk then powered down and the duel was over. Illidan's Duel Disk then powered down as well, signifying he'd won the duel at long last.

"The winner of this round, the Gauntlet, and still dual champion, Illidan Stormrage!" announced the judge.

Illidan barely heard the judge though. His eyes had long glazed over after his attack had hit. He smiled and then fell forward, hitting the floor with a large thump. Yami quickly ran over to help Illidan up. Marie and Yugi's friends, along with a few of the other duelists ran out of the stand quickly to help their fallen friend.

Meanwhile, in his throne, Gozaburo burst out loud laughing, yelling "THAT IS THE FATE OF THAT FOOL! SOON HE'LL BE PERMANETLY OUT OF COMMISSION, MUWHAHAHA!"

With that said, Marie glared at Gozaburo with anger in her eyes. She started walking towards him, yelling "STOP THIS! Illidan didn't deserve this, and neither do the others. Put an end to this torment and leave him and the others be! You have no right to do this, Gozaburo!"

He only laughed at Marie's foolish outburst and replied with "Oh, and I should fear you then Marie? What will you do if I don't stop? Beg for me to end it all like you did to the Gozaburo from ancient Egypt? Or will you cry for me to leave them all be? It doesn't matter what you try to do, it will happen one way or another. All that are here will pay for the torment that Gozaburo from those times suffered. You, Illidan, the pharaoh, Bakura, Shadi, and Seto shall all pay for what you did. And the others shall pay as well, for they will bare witness to the rise of my new world. If you dare to try and stop me, I'll finish the job that the ancient fool couldn't. So, how does that grab you, Marie?"

He then began an evil laugh, enjoying the pain he had caused Illidan when suddenly a raspy voice cut through his laughter, saying "I wouldn't … celebrate … just yet."

Gozaburo stopped laughing and looked up in shock. There stood a very exhausted Illidan. He was barely standing on his own, but he had managed to surprise everyone by standing up again. His eyes looked half glazed, but he was definitely conscious.

Gasping for air, he slowly said "You won't … lay one hand … on them. I will … defeat you, one … way or another."

It was obvious that it was taking everything Illidan had to just stand and talk. He looked completely spent from all the action in the duels.

Gozaburo only laughed at Illidan's threat and then hit the button to lower his throne. He just continued to laugh maniacally as he was lowered down the tower.

After the throne disappeared, Illidan completely passed out. Marie came running towards Illidan as he collapsed, screaming "ILLIDAN!"

He smiled as he was going down and then completely went blank a few inches from the floor.


	100. Chapter 100: Memories of Love, Pt 1

**Chapter 100**

Illidan was quickly taken from the top of the tower to his room by the entire group that had surrounded him after he had passed out. Joey, Mai, Bakura, Noa, Marik, Ishizu, Shadi, Odion, Tea, Tristan, Duke, Serenity, Yugi (and Yami in spirit form), and Marie all surrounded his bed.

Bakura began to pour on his healing powers, hoping they would help Illidan recover much faster. Bakura gave all the energy he had and finally had to stop when he'd reached his limit. He about fell over when he had finished, but caught himself barely.

Sighing, he said "That's all I can do for now. Once I've recovered my energy, I'll come back again. Hopefully by then though, he'll be awake. He's mostly fatigued, but he seems drained."

Marie nodded at Bakura who had given her the news. Slowly, she reached over to Illidan's face and rubbed her hand over it. She brushed his bangs away from his eyes, although he loved them to be in his eyes.

Slowly, everyone decided to leave. One by one, they left till finally Marie was left alone with a still unconscious Illidan. She sat there, staring at the one person in her past and present that had made her feel so loved. He had been there for her in the past, and he was once again here for her now. She knew he wouldn't hesitate to give his life to protect her. He wasn't one to allow anything bad to harm her, and she knew that he gladly die to protect everyone if it meant she'd live. That was how Illidan was. He didn't care about himself, but about the ones around him more than anything.

She remembered how they had met in the ancient past. Slowly, she let her memories take her back to a time where the pyramids were new, and Egypt controlled many lands.

She had been Yami's personal servant at the time. When she had reached the tender age of sixteen, the same age as Yami at the time, a discovery was made that she had Shadow Powers. Unlike Yami, Bakura, and Set, she had not been trained from an early age, so she had no idea how to fully control them.

This was uncommon mostly throughout Egypt, due that children at the age of three were to be tested for possible Shadow Powers. Many questions were raised as to why she hadn't been tested, but they couldn't be answered.

The fact that her powers had finally been noticed meant that she had to be taught to control them. After some discussion with members of Yami's royal court, it was decided that she would be taught by a young man name Illidan Stormrage.

Nearly eight years before, Illidan had been sent away for training and was due to return. Since he would have no formal responsibilities when he returned, it was decided that Illidan would teach her.

Marie had complained about not wanting some guy she didn't know training her, but Yami put his foot down saying that he and the others were too busy to train someone from the start. She half heartedly considered saying that she was to busy to train too, but when Yami made up his mind about something there was no changing it.

She was mostly worried due that she had never met Illidan. From the way Yami described him, he was a kind young man that had been Yami's friend growing up till he was eight. When he had turned eight, Illidan had been sent away by Yami's father to continue his training with a group of powerful nomad's.

That day she was remembering had started out like any other morning would. She had woken up and prepared for the day. She had looked in the mirror, staring at her lovely mid back length brown hair and wonderful brown eyes. Smiling that she looked her best as always, she then went to get Yami's breakfast for him. She was jokingly thinking of all the ways she could poison his food when she ran into someone. They fell with Marie falling on top of the young man in a rather perverted way.

With laughter, the young man said "Well I usually like to get to know a girl before we get in this position."

Turning a shade of crimson, Marie quickly moved off the man without looking at him, saying "Sorry, sir. There usually isn't anyone else around at this time of morning."

"I would say. I have been looking for someone to direct me to where I could get something to eat and couldn't find anyone. Kind of glad I bumped into you, or is it the other way around." he said as he laughed at his own joke.

"Follow me." Marie said, respectfully keeping her gaze on the floor.

Some of the visitors to the palace didn't like it when slaves looked them in the eye. Yami didn't like that Marie have to look down or away, but politics is part of being a pharaoh or pharaoh's slave.

With the young man in tow, she made her way to the kitchen and had him sit down at one of the tables. She then walked into the back and instructed the cooks to take care of their guest, who she figured had to be Illidan. She knew it had to be him due that he was to arrive in the early morning.

She then quickly gathered up Yami's breakfast and went back to his room. There she arrived to find him at the balcony in his robe, with the sun shinning off his body. It gave off a small gleam of gold, making him look more like a god on earth.

Occasionally she would stare, just liking the view, but not this morning. She called him in for breakfast and the two sat down for it as usual. Once down, she let out a heavy sigh.

"What is wrong Marie?" he asked, genuinely concerned about his friend.

She then told him that she had run over top of Illidan on her way to the kitchen, and that she had made herself look like a fool in the process. She told him she was too embarrassed to take the classes now, knowing Illidan would think less of her most likely for running him down.

Yami only laughed at this, replying with "Marie, sometimes I swear you're the drama queen of Egypt. Illidan would never think less of you with that. Now, I'm telling you that you will still have classes, so accept it."

She sighed, and nodded slowly, knowing she would never escape them. Yami then smiled and asked "What is there for me to do today?"

After a moment, she picked up a small scroll and read through what was to happen in his royal court. She would interject her opinions occasionally on things to happen during the day, which Yami took into consideration. Besides being her personal slave, she was his best friend and his confidant he always confided in. She was as well one of his advisors, making her that much closer to him.

Slowly the two continued on in discussion over the days events till finally Yami had to prepare for the day. With Yami off to prepare, Marie grabbed the tray she had brought up and took it back to the kitchen. While there, she didn't see Illidan around, and was rather thankful.

On the way back, she decided to stop by the stables to check on Yami's horse. Yami rarely got to ride his horse, but still, he wanted the horse properly cared for. The problem was, he didn't trust the trainers he had taking care of the horse, so every so often, Marie was asked to check in on the horse.

The horse was a beautiful one at that. Yami had named him Fruity due to an incident he had with the horse. One day while he had been out riding, he returned with a fruit basket that one of the people Egypt had given him. When Yami had exited the stables, he had left the fruit basket in the stall with his horse. Remembering he had forgotten it later that day, he came back to find an empty basket and a giddy horse. Not helping but laugh, he then named the horse Fruity.

As Marie made her way into the stables, she remembered why she hated to so badly come in there. The reason was the due to the trainers in there. They would just stare at her as she came in, seemingly tracking her every movement. She hated this kind of attention and often got the same kind from Gozaburo Tark, the royal blacksmith of Egypt. Often she would complain to Yami about this, asking him to do something, but every time she would, Yami could only reply with "They have yet to commit a crime. Looking isn't against the law." This always infuriated her, but she usually let it slip due that she had no choice in the end.

She finally arrived to Fruity's stall and saw he was perfectly fine. Happy that he was in fine order, she turned to leave, grumbling about the fact she had to still do this when the horse was always alright. As she was leaving, she bumped into one of the trainers.

He was a rather large muscular man, but seemed rather short in the brains department. He roughly said "Where are you going slave?"

She fought the urge to glare up at him and show her fiery eyes, but calmly said "Back to check on the Pharaoh."

She then heard two more trainers walk up, seemingly fencing her in. The one that had spoke to her said "I don't think so slave. It's time you're taught how a slave is truly used. Get her!"

When she heard this, she looked up to only see arms grabbing onto her body. She screamed and tried to get away, but they had her boxed in. Soon they threw her into a pen of hay. One man then jumped into the pen and ripped her dress off. Marie then knew what they were up to, and was in great fear. She screamed louder now and continued to struggle, trying hard to escape from them. The one that had talked to her before then came closer to her and she planted her foot in his gut. He doubled over and backed up as the other two took hold of her arms and pinned her to the ground. The third then stood back up and sneered at her. He then grabbed the cords that held up his pants and began to loosen them up, causing much more fear to enter her.

She then remembered thanks to the use of the Millennium Necklace, that Illidan was approaching the stables. He had left the palace after getting breakfast. He had gone out to ride his horse, who he had named Stormy. When he had rode out short distance from the stables, he suddenly felt something pulling him back, so he had dismounted Stormy and walked back. Illidan was not one to ignore his feelings, so he obeyed whatever reason it was for him to return.

As he approached the stables, he suddenly heard a girl screaming. She was screaming for help, and she sounded rather desperate, if not frantic. Tying up Stormy, he quickly ran to the mouth of the stables to see what was going on. There he saw a guy with two other guys to each of his sides in the hay pen. It seemed the two guys were holding someone or something down. Glancing, he saw legs, knowing it was a person.

Not wanting to know what kind of sick stunt was going on, he yelled "STOP RIGHT THERE YOU THREE!"

The one that had his back to him turned towards him, revealing the person he was towering over was completely naked. He instantly recognized the face of the young girl that had ran him down earlier in the morning. The guy that was towering over her sneered at Illidan and turned back around.

Full of anger at what he was seeing, Illidan grabbed a metal rod that was nearby and quickly swung it into the knee of the man that had sneered at him. The man instantly screamed out in pain as he dropped onto the injured knee. Illidan then saw the girl more clearly, and noticed she was being held down by the other two. Now more furious, he bashed the shoulder of the man he had hit before, instantly breaking bones on impact. When he had hit his knee earlier, Illidan had known then that he had broken his knee as well, but still he felt no remorse for his actions. The man he struck once again cried out in pain and fell backwards onto the ground.

Glaring at the other two men who had stood up and started to run, he said with icy steel in his voice "Take him with you!"

They complied and carefully helped their friend up and ran out of the stable, as fast as they could with their friend.

Glancing over at the side of the pen, Illidan saw a ripped up dress. Sighing, he turned around, so he couldn't see the girl at all. He had a small blush on his cheeks, mostly due to embarrassment for seeing her like this. He then realized she had nothing to cover up with, so he removed his outer cloak. He then tossed it behind him without looking back. Knowing she was already frightened, angry, and embarrassed already, he decided not to further insult her by looking.

Kindly, he said "Here, you can wear this. It should cover you up till you go back into the palace."

Marie was shocked that Illidan was doing this. Here was the man that was to be her teacher, and he had just saved her from being raped and possibly killed. She was furious and embarrassed at the same time. Embarrassed due that Illidan had seen her like this, and furious that those fools had tried to harm her like they did. If not for the fact Illidan had came in when he did… She shuttered at that thought of what could have happened.

Still looking away, Illidan gently said "Let Yami know what happened, or I can. Either way, those three won't be in these stables again."

She nodded and grabbed the cloak he'd thrown to her. She quickly slipped it on, tying it shut so no one could see inside it while she returned to the palace. Once satisfied, she stood up and started running towards the palace.

When she was a few feet in front of Illidan, she stopped and humbly said "Thank you. I am forever in your debt."

With her back to him, Illidan only smiled and replied with "Forget about it. You'd better hurry, seeing how you have to clean up before we have court. Farewell till then."

With that, Marie ran to the palace, while Illidan walked out to retrieve his horse. The first thing Marie did as instructed was let Yami know what had happened. He was outraged and furious that this incident happened and ordered the guards to track down the three perpetrators. Once found, they were to be executed immediately. After giving those orders, he told Marie to go ahead and get cleaned up, that he'd wait for her.

Marie quickly bathed and dressed herself up in a fresh white dress like she had worn earlier. This one was slightly different, for instead of gold trim on it, it had silver. Once she brushed her hair and was ready, she realized she still had Illidan's outer cloak. She asked a friend of hers to run it to Illidan and left a small note inside of it, thanking him again for his assistance.

That day at noon, Yami's royal court was coming to a close. Many issues had been discussed over the past two ours. For once, court had opened on time, which made Marie groan even more. Normally, something slowed the process down or delayed the courts, but for once it was running smoothly and on time. Small disputes were settled, and Gozaburo Tark was officially given the post of Blacksmith to the Pharaoh. Minor matters were also discussed, till finally Marie realized it was time for Illidan to be introduced.

Yami finally motioned for Illidan to step forward, and stood, saying with much formality "Welcome to my court Illidan. Thank you for coming promptly to my side. Would you like so say a few words before the court makes it's ruling?"

A slight sigh, but barely noticeable sigh came from Illidan, but he then responded formally with "Yes if it pleases the court."

Yami nodded, motioning Illidan on to say "Thank you for calling me back. I have been traveling for many years, as Yami's late father requested. In my journeys, I have been learning all there is to know about the Shadow Powers and Games. I am pleased that I have a chance to show someone now all that I have learned."

Silently, Marie thought "_Many years my foot! He's the same age as me and Yami!_"

Yami let a smile play upon his face, and replied with "If you have learned as much as my late father hoped, Marie will not be your only student for long."

Yami then turned to Marie, asking "Marie, do you have anything to say before the court?"

Marie hid her rolling eyes face, but Yami seemed to know what she had done. She stepped out from beside Yami's throne to beside Illidan, and recited something Yami had asked her to say. "If it pleases the court."

Yami nodded as a sparkle of hidden laughter appeared in his eyes. She continued, saying "Thank you Illidan for coming here to teach me. I hope to prove a worthy student. And I am sorry about running into you earlier."

"No problem Marie, but I am glad to know your name now." Illidan replied.

"Does anyone have anything else to add?" Yami asked everyone of his court.

When he received no answer, he said "Good, then let us vote on this matter. All against Illidan teaching the Shadow Discipline to Marie, say so now."

Again no one said anything. Seeing that it was agreed, Yami said "Then it is official as of today Illidan is teaching Marie. Good luck to both of you. And with that the morning session of my court is closed."

With that said, the people of the room began to leave. Yami, Set, and Bakura then walked out together towards one door. As they left, Yami's laughter could be heard, more than likely laughing at how Marie had to act.

As everyone left, especially Yami and his friends, Marie longed to join them. A long silence formed between the boy and girl as they stood side by side for a short time.

At last, Illidan broke the silence and turned towards her, asking "Why didn't you tell me your name earlier?"

Still looking at the ground, Marie shrugged, replying with "You didn't ask."

Sighing, Illidan said "You didn't give me much of a chance to ask you."

Grumbling, Marie responded with "I was embarrassed, ok. At first I thought I had run into someone important... I didn't mean that the way it sounds."

Illidan laughed at her comment, but replied with "It's ok. I understand, I think."

With a bit of difficulty, she then added "And thank you for saving me from those trainers. I'm not sure what I'd have done if not for you coming in there."

Illidan nodded and said "It was no trouble. I dislike hurting people, but they did deserve it. To commit such a vile act was worthy of that kind of punishment. There is one thing though I'm curious about."

Still staring at the ground, Marie said "Yes, what is it?"

"What I really want to know is why you aren't looking me in the eye?" he responded with kindness in his voice.

"Because I am a slave…" Marie began.

Smiling, Illidan interrupted, saying "We're all slaves to someone, so why not look me in the eye."

Marie looked up into Illidan's eyes as requested. At first, she got a vague impression of kindness and warmth, and something else that she could not figure out, but before she got a chance to decide what it was, it felt like the door was shut. It was more like a door slammed in her face. A physical blow that made her take a step back. It had never happened to Marie before, and that scared her, badly. She started shaking with fear, knowing what had happened.

In confusion, she stammered "Wh… What just happened?"

Quickly, Illidan put a hand on her shoulder, saying "Sorry, I have never had someone use their Shadow Powers on me like that before. It was so strong that I thought you could handle a bit of my power, but I guess I was wrong. I need to go talk to Yami. Do you know where he is?"

Shaking off the small bit of confusion, she replied "Oh, he usually goes outside with the others to practice Shadow Games at this time of day."

Illidan took his hand back and turned away muttering something about "killing Yami" and "why didn't he warn him about that." He then walked out of the room in a quick walk, seemingly fuming at the moment.

Marie hurried after Illidan, for after all if he did try to kill Yami, she would try to stop him. Something came to Marie as she followed Illidan through the palace. From what she had gathered earlier that morning, he had no clue how to get around the palace. Yet now, Illidan seemed to know where he was going. The question played upon her mind, making her really wonder how Illidan knew were to go. He was moving too quickly for someone who had only been the palace a couple of hours. The only reason Marie was able to keep up with Illidan was he stopped at every cross-section for a couple of seconds before moving on. It was in that way that the two of them made it to the courtyard.

As they entered the courtyard, Marie felt a coldness brush up against her skin. The courtyard always felt this way when people would be dueling. Marie had no idea why, but it always felt like this place made her skin crawl, and today was no exception.

She then noticed Yami and Set were in the middle of the field with Bakura off to the side watching. Illidan went charging in as if nothing was going on, and that Yami and Set didn't have monsters around them. Before Marie or anyone else knew what was going on, Yami was sent flying through the air by a powerful blast of Shadow Magic by Illidan. This caused Yami and Set's monsters to both disappear.

Illidan then stormed over to where Yami landed on the ground, yelling angrily "What in this world were you thinking? Why didn't you tell me how Marie uses her powers? What if I had reacted more strongly then I did? I could have KILLED her Yami! What were you thinking you idiot?"

Yami seemed completely stunned by Illidan's yelling, as well as confused. He quickly asked "What are you talking about?"

Illidan smacked his own forehead in irritation, but tried to understand. Sighing, he said "Let me guess, she only uses her powers when she first meets someone, and you had someone she already knew to test her Shadow Powers, right?"

Yami thought back to the first time he had met Marie and nodded, as Set said, "As the high priest of Egypt, it is my job to test the people of this city."

Illidan turned his full anger at Set for this comment, yelling "You aren't very good at your job, are you? I mean, the FIRST rule of testing someone is that they never have met before, because most of the time untrained people will use there Shadow Powers more with complete strangers then someone they have met before."

"How dare you say I'm not…" Set began as him and Illidan argued back and forth. This went on for a few minutes longer, with Illidan claiming that Set needed to learn to do his job better.

In the end, Bakura finally said "Why not test her now? You have only just met her Illidan, and I would love to see a testing."

Sighing, Illidan seemed to stop and think for a moment. He closed his eyes, trying hard to think of a solution.

Marie had watched the whole thing unfold in front of her, and she began to wonder what was to happen next. "_I hope he takes this time to cool off. He's already possibly committed treason by just hitting Yami, but I doubt Yami would do anything about it._"

She then realized that after all these years in the palace, she still didn't know much about Shadow Powers. She did know one thing though, and that was that a person's feelings affected them.

Finally, after thinking for a minute, Illidan opened his eyes and slowly said "I guess I can test her now, but it will take us a couple days before the real lessons can start anyways. I can't really start teaching unless I gauge her power level."

Irritated that the others and Illidan was completely ignoring the fact that she was standing there, she said "You guys do realize that 'she' is over here right?"

She then walked over to Yami, making sure he was alright. He slightly nodded to her, saying to her that he was fine. He had been on the ground ever since Illidan had sent him flying into it.

Smiling, Illidan said "Sorry, I guess I was a little distracted. Ok, I am going to test you now. I won't lie, but this is going to hurt, and unfortunately, there is no way around it."

She nodded, and took a place on the field where the others had been dueling earlier. Set and Bakura in the meantime helped Yami up and dragged him over to the sidelines. Once Yami was off the field, Marie squared her shoulders and prepared for whatever Illidan had in mind.

Taking a deep breath, she said "I'm ready as I will ever be."

She then looked straight into Illidan's eyes, and for the first time noticed that they were a nice dark brown color. In her mind, she noted "_Nice color._"

Illidan kindly said "Ok, what I want you to do and what I am going to be doing is simple. I want you to use whatever you feel when I use my Shadow Powers and push me away."

Silently, Marie asked herself "_What I feel?_"

Before she could ask what he meant, she felt the cold feeling that she always felt when Yami and the others where out in the courtyard dueling.

In her mind, she thought "_That's it, that's what I feel, but how do I use it?_"

The cold around Marie grew stronger and began to try to push her gently. With her last question answered Marie rapped her arms around her body and began to draw the cold around her like a coat. It was hard and it seemed almost impossible, and it was somehow painful like Illidan said it would be. Marie pulled as much around her as she could. She felt a growl forming in the back of her throat.

Illidan stood in front of the girl staring at him and was amazed. At the age of sixteen, and with no training at that, she seemed as strong as he had been when he was at the age of eight. This amazed him in so many ways, due that most people with Shadow Powers took years to develop them, yet this girl with no training at all had managed to become this strong. It amazed him, yet slightly frightened him at the same time. What amazed him more was the fact she was taking control of the power he was sending at her.

When a person was tested, the test was simple. Whoever was doing the testing would try to send the other person to the Shadow Realm. The resistance the other person put up was how a person's power level was gauged. Already, Marie had far surpassed many people. It had taken Illidan the first eight years of his life to build up the power that Marie was freely wielding. Seeing she was stronger than first anticipated, he decided to push her a little farther, just to see how strong she really was.

Marie felt the cold growing more intense again and began to release the power she had gathered within herself, pushing with her mind as hard as she could. Again the pain from using her Shadow Powers began to grow until finally it was unbearable. She tried to persevere, but couldn't push any further. With her reaching her limit, she began screaming loudly, and pushed all her strength into one last blast. The blast had fully drained her, and made her fall over asleep.

Illidan looked over to her form now on the ground as Set ran over to her, while Bakura helped Illidan to his feet. He had been thrown back by her final blast of energy. Standing up, Illidan now realized just how strong this girl really was. "_If not for the fact she is now sixteen, she'd have been much stronger than even Squall was._"

Yami soon interrupted his thoughts as he yelled, "How is she?"

After a moment, Set replied "Fine. She's just sleeping right now."

Yami looked over at Illidan, who was slowly walking across the field towards the fallen girl. He asked "So, what do you think?"

Smirking, Illidan stopped and replied with "I think that if someone had found that girl when she was younger she would be the strongest person here, if not the strongest in Egypt. As things are, I would say that by her eighteenth, possibly nineteenth year, I could have her up to her maximum power level, which will be that of about yours right now."

Illidan then walked on over to Marie as Set moved off to go get some help in moving her to her room. Illidan knelt beside Marie and put the palm of his hand on her forehead. He then closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Yami and Bakura watched in amazement, for they had never seen anyone use Shadow Powers to heal before. Marie, whose skin had been deathly white, took a deep breath as her skin returned to its normal color.

As Illidan removed his hand, he fell over on his back to lie beside her. Lightly laughing, he said "That Shadow Testing took more out of me than usual."

With a yawn, he continued saying "I used more power than usual, and had to use more to give her just a fraction of her powers back. Yami, you picked a good student for me."

With that, Illidan fell asleep beside the young girl.

Shocked, Bakura asked "How did he do that?"

Yami just shook his head, not knowing the answer. He only knew that with Illidan's return, things would be much more interesting.

Three years later, Marie's training was at last finished. The day of her final test had finally arrived.


	101. Chapter 101: Memories of Love, Pt 2

**Hello once more everyone. Well, things are still rolling along today. Thanks everyone that congratulated me on hitting chapter 100. I will tell you all for sure that I didn't write 150 chapters, so there's some good news, or is it bad? Shrugs Either way, the story is on it's downhill grade, heading for the end.**

**That reminds me. I need to thank my fiancé for helping in writing most of chapter 100, all of 101, and part of 102. I was going to originally write out their past story, but she decided to help me out and write them. Once she was done, I read over it and made a few changes (added in the scene in the stable, corrected some of her mistakes, lol, and added a few other scenes in this chapter). While writing those chapters, she got the idea to write _The History of the Millennium Items_. She'll work on it someday again, as soon as she gets some free time I'm sure.**

**And now, it's time to get to the reviews.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks, and I'm glad to be back and updating. I missed doing it. Yeah, Yami didn't last long due that Illidan HAD to finish. After all, the man was about to pass out, so he just ended it all quickly as possible. Lol, my fiancé thought the same thing about Illidan finally being unconscious and it being Marie taking care of him. The next duel is the final ten way duel, so don't worry, it's coming.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: I thought I'd throw Tyrant Dragon in due to a reason. Soon you'll see why it was so important to her. Actually, you'll find out more in my sequel, _The Wolves Seal_, and in my fiancé's story, _The History of the Millennium Items_. Both will explain, but this story does as well to a degree. I added the stable scene mostly to… I really can't remember now why I added it. Anyways, I added it to help define Illidan's past character I guess. Lol, and thanks for the piece of your mind.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Alright. I'll try to get on it soon. Between work and everything else this crazy week, I'm just busy. I might get an hour or 2 at night, but that even depends at times. LOL! You can't pronounce Illidan's name? Well, I'll sound it out for you. Ill-i-dan. Ill as in I'm feeling rather sickly or ill, i as in i, and dan as in dan the man! Lol, altogether, it spells out Illidan!**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, he made it, but barely. I should have hooked him up to an IV with caffeine drip, lol. The way they met was my fiancé's idea, and she had fun with making it that way, hehe.**

**Strawberry Cake: NO! I couldn't have handled writing another 131! I barely managed to get this far originally, lol. Then all the freaking corrections I had to make, oh my gosh, that took so long! Smiles Legend… Breaks out into a song. Gather around children, to the hear the legend of Illidan the Half Demon! "…" Smacked in the back of the head by fiancé. Party pooper… Oh yeah, that's Ryou, and he's celebrating something. Picks up shovel and smacks him in the back of the head, instantly knocking him unconscious. Much better.**

**Brianna Ishtar: He'll be back up! Don't do that to him, or you may regret it! Watches Millennium Key glow. Uh oh…**

**Well, I'm glad I have so many reviews. I was just looking over my stats this morning, and realized I now have 294 reviews altogether from chapter 1-100. Thank you all for your reviews. I'm so happy to get them always, and I encourage anyone else who'd like to review to go ahead. Not as if I'll bite you if you do… maybe, lol. Smacked in the back of the head again by fiancé. I wasn't talking about biting them like that! Sheesh, I only do that with you, hehe. Gets patted on the head for being a good boy.**

**Anyways, thank you all for your reviews, and I look forward to future ones. Maybe today I'll hit 300, which would be so cool. At any rate, I'm posting 2 chapters due that I didn't post last night, so enjoy.**

**Chapter 101**

On that day, she woke up from a vision of her first test. In it, she had seen all that had happened. Sitting in her bed, she began to wonder why the others hadn't told her she had knocked Illidan away like she had. Of course, she knew now after many three years as to why she was not tested as a child.

She had been tested, but the testing had been kept secret due that on that day when she was only a child, she had shown greater strength than even Yami had at the age of three. That had worried Pharaoh Raijin, Yami's father, and rather than keep her alive and to have her help protect Egypt, he attempted to have her life taken. Ironically, it was Illidan's father, Shando Stormrage, who was to execute her all those years ago.

She barely remembered that day. She was only three, but due to her Shadow Powers, she could clearly see into the past. That day, Shando and the High Priest of Egypt, Set's father, Furion, had visited her home. Furion had knocked her out with a blast of Shadow Magic, while her mother and father were killed by two other guards. Shando was left alone with the girl so he could do the evil deed for the pharaoh. Luckily for Marie, Shando couldn't take the life of a child that had done nothing wrong. Still, he had to obey the pharaoh, so he left her in the burning home of her parents, hoping the fire would claim her life instead. Marie had survived that day thanks to a Shadow Monster, which had taken her out of her home before the fire could consume her. After that, she was put into slavery, and spent her life that way till she was nine, which is when she met Yami and became his personal servant, and his best friend.

Stretching, Marie rose from bed and prepared for the day. Her mind kept thinking about the vision she had had that morning, the one of her first testing. She had passed it, and after three years of training, her final test was about to be given. Marie had amazed Illidan over three years time, and was rather strong for someone who had only trained for three years. That was what made Illidan seemingly proud of her, making her his top student.

On this day, many things would happen. If she passed her final test, Yami would free her from slavery and make her part of his personal court known as the Shadow Court. The group consisted of strong Shadow Duelists, which made sure they could help protect Egypt.

If she didn't pass the test though, Yami had promised to free her anyway, but she wouldn't become part of the court. Instead, she would become Yami's personal adviser. The only catch was she would be an adviser that was banned from using her Shadow Powers. That would place her in a bad position, and she had attempted to talk Yami out of it. Yami's enemies, some of whom could use the Shadow Powers, would pick her as a target to get at him. Yami countered her though, saying if she was free, Shadow Powers or not, she would be a target still because of her closeness to him. This was why Yami and the rest of the Shadow Court would protect her if she stayed with Yami.

She grumbled to herself at that thought. Marie hated being the one everyone had to protect, mostly due that she hated the whole damsel in distress situation. Marie was determined to become part of the Shadow Court, no matter what it took.

Yami wanted eight members on his court, and if Marie managed to pass her test, she would be the eighth, and the only female, but that was alright with Marie. She wanted to be the woman's voice in the discussion and decisions, not the "normal" person's voice within a court of strong people that was not even a real member of that court.

After finally readying herself for the day, she went down to the kitchen for the last time to get Yami's breakfast. While there, she decided to see some of the cooks.

"Good morning Marie. How is the Pharaoh's Golden Girl doing today? Are you ready to be free?" asked the head cook.

Marie laughed, and realized that for working in the palace with Yami, you really didn't feel like a slave. She smiled back at the woman and replied "I am good, Sandy. Thanks for asking."

Another girl, about Marie's age came over with a platter of food. She smiled and said "We'll miss you down here. Don't forget about us."

Marie lightly laughed and replied "Don't worry Sara, I will come back. I would miss you guys too much not to."

A voice from the other side of the kitchen yelled "Marie, I heard you are going to marry Pharaoh Yami. Is it true?"

Marie turned pink as the group began to sing "Marie and Yami sitting in a tree, K. I. S. S. I. N. G.!"

Of course, when Yami's name was said as a possible suitor, some other names came up as well. The two she picked out the most was Illidan and to her disgust, Gozaburo. Marie turned an even brighter shade of pink when the noise level grew because everyone began to argue who would be best for Marie.

One of the arguments was "Yami would be prefect for Marie. She would be queen and still get to have breakfast with him."

Another she heard was "Illidan and Marie have had all kinds of 'private' lessons together. I'm sure that there is something going on there."

The last one she heard was "Gozaburo is the strongest of the Shadow Court. Well physically the strongest. That has to count for something, right?"

Sighing, Marie yelled at the top of her lungs "If you are all done deciding who **I'M** going to marry, I have to get Yami his breakfast."

All the noise died away instantly at her outburst. Marie quickly picked up the platter of food for the two and left for Yami's quarters. As she left the kitchen area, she heard the singing start again. Shaking her head, Marie made her way on towards Yami's room.

When she arrived, she saw Yami already sitting at the table they normally ate at. He was seemingly writing something, so Marie was careful to sit the tray on the table to where nothing would spill on his papers. She then grabbed her usual seat and sat down across from him as normal.

Yami continued to work on his papers for several minutes longer as Marie began her breakfast. Her face was still slightly red from the teasing from the girls of the kitchen.

When Yami was cleaning his brush he'd been writing with, he noticed her face and stopped writing. He looked at her with concern and said "You don't look so good. Are you alright? Maybe we should postpone the test."

Sighing, Marie then darkly muttered "Postponing won't help. Firing the whole kitchen staff might."

"Oh, problems with them? Once again the gossiping kitchen crew strikes again I take it. What was it this time? Trying help you decide on whom to marry?" Yami asked, with a smile playing on his lips.

When Marie turned a shade of crimson once again, he laughed and said "The head cook told me the other day that I should be one of your suitors."

Marie suddenly turned an even deeper color crimson and was seemingly frozen, making Yami laugh again. He stopped for a moment and said "I told her that I would take it under advisement."

After hearing this, her heart became even more worried. True, she did love the Pharaoh, but like a brother. She could never love him like a wife, but how could she turn down the Pharaoh. She didn't want him to do anything he felt obligated to do, and most of all, she didn't want to ruin the friendship they had.

Yami saw the look on her face, but continued on like nothing was wrong. "That did get me to thinking though. There are several that want to be your suitor, and I'm afraid that I will make that problem worse today."

Marie realized what he was saying suddenly, and asked "Pharaoh, you don't want to be my suitor?"

Sighing, Yami replied "Would you please call me Yami, and that is right. Marie, you are like a sister to me. Our friendship is too valuable to me to waste on forcing something that most likely you don't want. True, I love you, but as a sister, not as a person I want to marry. Still, I do want to help you with this. I have been reading on the law for this matter, and it seems, as I am sure you know, that you need a 'guardian' of sorts in order to be suited. I would be happy to play the role as your brother if you'd like."

Marie smiled and looked down at the table, sweetly saying "Thank you, Yami."

Marie looked up after a moment with amusement on her face, saying "I'm just glad that I won't have to turn you down."

Smirking, Yami said "So you do have someone in mind then?"

Marie blushed slightly and mumbled "Yes."

Smiling with mischief, Yami asked "Well?"

Blushing even more deeply, Marie muttered something that was just below a whisper. Yami put his hand up to his ear and said "I can't hear you."

She blushed till she looked like a tomato and muttered in a whisper "Illidan."

Smiling, as if he seemed to be hiding something. He then stroked his chin scholarly and said "Ah, yes, your teacher, a fine young man."

Lightly laughing, Marie replied "Yami, you two are the same age."

Smirking, Yami said "True, but now on to something more important than my age. As I said, I'm going to make it harder for you to find the right suitor. Today after I free you, I will announce that you, and whomever you marry, will be my official Tomb Keepers."

Marie looked at Yami as if he gained another head, and said in shock "You can't be serious! That is an important post and will make me part of your family by the rules set out by the first pharaoh."

She then realized what she had just said and asked "You're going to make me an official part of your family?"

Nodding, Yami replied "Right you are, Marie. We have known each other since we were young children. We've played together and grew up together, and I can't think of anyone better to be my sister. And Illidan will make a fine brother too. We're already best friends, and I feel like his brother as is, so why not make him it officially."

Marie looked down again, her eyes full of uncertainty. She slowly said "But I don't know if Illidan feels the same way about me..."

Sighing, Yami took her hand and patted it, saying kindly "It will work itself out in the end. Now for my last order to you as a master to his slave. Go get ready for your test."

With that said, Yami went back to his paper work. Marie stood and took their tray back to the kitchen and went to her room and prepared for her final test.

Later on that day, Marie walked slowly into the room where the Shadow Court regularly met. It was a rather dark and damp room, filled with the cold that Marie came to understand as the manifestation of the Shadow Realm in this world. Marie took her place in the challenger spot of the room, facing a pit in front of her. Her long brown hair was now in a single tight braid to keep it out of her way during the match. She was wearing a simple white dress with gold trim.

Marie looked up and to the left at the grim faces of the Shadow Court. There were seven men looking back down at her. Yami sat in the middle with three people on each side. To Yami's left sat Set, Pegasus and Gozaburo. To his right sat Illidan, Bakura and Shadi.

Yami stood and said in a voice to fill the hall "Marie, my slave, why have you come here this day?"

Marie looked over at each man before answering with "I have come to be tested, for I wish to join the Shadow Court."

Yami looked back at the others behind him and asked "Does any here wish to stop Marie from being tested?"

A few moments went by, and no one spoke up. Marie held her breath, hoping against all things that no one stopped her now. If any of them wished for her not to join, now was the time. After those long moments was up, no one said a word, but Marie noticed Illidan's eyes were no longer staring at her like the others. He seemed to be gazing away, like he was refusing to look at her. This made her wonder why, but she chose to ignore it.

Yami finally said "No one has spoken, so if you have any problems with Marie being on the court, you must hold your tongue forever more."

Turning towards Illidan, Yami said "Now Illidan, as Marie's teacher, you have the choice of who will test her. Who will it be?"

Seemingly returning his gaze towards Marie, he stood and said "I will test her myself."

Nodding, Yami replied "So be it. A Shadow Test, between Illidan and Marie. Illidan, name your terms and type of test."

Not seemingly stop to think, Illidan replied "A match with three monsters. The first to lose all their monsters loses the game."

Marie was shocked at this bold challenge, for Illidan knew full well that she was horrible at monster battles. Still, if she didn't win the duel, she couldn't get on the court. She growled, knowing Illidan had just made it that much harder for her to do join. She stared at him, trying to sense his feelings, but he avoided eye contact, seemingly on purpose, as if he couldn't look her in the eyes. "_I don't know why he's doing this, but this is so not like him. Why is he doing this to me now!_"

One fact did stand out in Marie's mind. She had never been able to beat Illidan in a game of monster battles.

With what Illidan said, the others mumbled to one another, so uncertain of why Illidan would chose this game. Each knew Illidan was second only to Yami in this type of game, and few had ever beaten him. Besides that fact, Marie was known to not be the best monster duelist. Each of the court members wanted Marie to win her place on the counsel, but for Illidan to make her earn it this way seemed rather unfair.

Yami was shocked at Illidan's terms and glanced at him. Illidan was not looking Marie in the eyes any longer, seemingly hiding them from her so she couldn't get a feel for his emotions. Yami realized now what his friend was doing after their talk from the day before, but he knew he couldn't stop Illidan from making this challenge. It was his right to choose the game and terms, but still, it was so unfair for him to make it this difficult.

Sighing, Yami finally said "So be it. It shall be a monster match between Illidan and Marie. You have five minutes to think about what monsters you want to use. You may ask of one counselor to help you decide. Marie, since you are the challenger, you may choose first."

Marie looked at the five remaining members and attempted to find one that could help her. Her first and second choices were out already, who were Illidan and Yami. Illidan due that he was her opponent, and Yami due that he had to be impartial by council rules.

After a moment of debating, Marie finally said "I choose Bakura."

Without even thinking about it, Illidan said "I choose no one."

Marie glared at Illidan, saying in her mind "_Of course he don't want help. After Yami, he **IS** the best at this._"

Marie was still glaring over at Illidan as Bakura came to her side and said apologetically "Sorry about what Illidan is doing. I talked with him before the match today, and he doesn't want you on the court for some reason, but he didn't want to stop you from trying. I guess this is what he came up with to stop you."

Shocked to hear this, Marie turned to Bakura with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She said with anger in her voice "I thought he might do something like this when I first walked in. He is always trying to protect me. He doesn't understand that I can **PROTECT** myself! I know I am strong enough to be on the court, and so does everyone else. Why is he trying to stop me?"

Bakura looked at Marie sadly and replied "Like you said, he is trying to protect you. Now we need to think of a strategy to beat him. I think you should start with a weak monster with a strong affect, like Man-Eater Bug or Spirit Reaper. Have you ever summoned either?"

Nodding, Marie said "Sprit Reaper, he is a weak monster but it can't be destroyed by attacking it. It can only be destroyed by another effect monster. That would be a good start. It will give me the chance I might need if he decides to summon a strong monster to begin with. It should keep him at bay for a bit. Good idea, for the second choice, I was thinking Fairy Lily. It is another weak monster but if I put more power into it after she is summoned, she gets stronger, but it wouldn't take as much strength as summoning a monster that strong to begin with."

Bakura nodded and said "Good choices. This battle, for you, is going to be summoning weaker monsters that have stronger effects. Maybe you should consider summoning Man-Eater Bug as well."

Sighing for a moment, she replied "I don't know. I have to have one really strong monster. I can't win by summoning just weak ones. Illidan likes a monster called Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. It could easily wipe out all those monsters. And then there is his Dark Magician of Chaos, another one of his favorites, which isn't a weakling either. I have been working on summoning..."

Before she could finish, Yami chimed in "Times up."

With a pat on her back, Bakura said "Good luck and I hope you win."

Marie and Illidan then took their places respectfully on the field where their battle would take place. Once in position, Yami called out "Illidan, you get to go first, so summon your monster and begin."

Illidan closed his eyes and began drawing on his Shadow Powers as soon as Yami made his statement. Marie watched nervously as a monster began to take from in front of him. It was a monster that Marie hadn't seen before. A woman with blonde hair, grey and black armor with a sword hanging from her side.

Opening his eyes, Illidan said "D.D. Warrior Lady, come forth and help me."

Marie looked at the monster, and was surprised that Illidan would start with a weaker monster. She pondered if possibly he was trying to make the duel easier on her by summoning a weaker monster, but she put the thought to rest quickly with another. "_No, he wouldn't make it this easy. He must be trying to get me to summon something stronger to drain my energy quickly. I am going to go with my original plan still._"

Closing her eyes, she drew on her power and a monster form began to appear. A monster with purple robes and looked much like the grim reaper itself then formed on the field. She called out "Sprit Reaper, come forth and protect me."

Illidan smiled as if he had already won the battle. With that smile still plastered on his face, he said "Next I call forth Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning."

Marie began to fell Illidan building up his power once again, but this one was stronger than the last time. Slowly, the form of a soldier wearing black armor from head to toe appeared. He held a powerful sword and a shield as well.

She then realized why Illidan was making this move. It hit her that he knew one of her weaknesses when she dueled. "He knows that I can't summon two monsters at once. Just as I thought, he has some kind of plan to try and take out my monster, but what?"

Her thoughts were interrupted as Illidan called out "Now I use the DD Warrior Lady to attack your Sprit Reaper and use her effect to remove both monsters from this realm."

To Marie's horror, the female warrior charged across the field and clashed her sword against the scythe of the grim reaper creature. The warrior then grabbed hold of the creature and a multicolored rift in the sky opened up. Slowly, the two monsters were lifted into the air, seemingly being sucked into the rift. Finally the two were sucked into it, and the rift disappeared, leaving Marie wide open for an assault.

Illidan then said "Soldier, attack Marie directly."

Marie tried not to look afraid as the monster came running at her. The monster slammed his shield hard into her body, knocking her to the ground. She groaned as pain washed over her body, making her ache mostly where she was hit.

She then heard Illidan call out "Ready to give up yet, Marie?"

Looking up at him, she could tell his voice had been full of concern, and that he had hope that she'd quit. Slightly furious that he expected her to give up, she forced herself to stand back up, letting fire flash from her eyes.

She angrily spat back "Not in this life time Illidan! I know of a monster that will take your monster down."

Reaching deep within herself for power, she gathered up energy and called out "I call forth Man-Eater Bug. Come and kill Illidan's Soldier!"

Illidan seemed shocked by Marie's choice of a second monster. He watched as a brown bug with menacing pincers appeared. It then lunged forward and wrapped it's arms around the soldier, and in an instant, exploded. The bug then leapt back from the explosion, whereas the soldier had vanished.

The loss of his monster seemed to not affect Illidan at all. After all, he was much stronger and had a better handle on his Shadow Powers, thus making the strain of losing a monster less painful. Still, Marie noticed that Illidan would not look her in the eye yet.

After a moment, he said with a smile on his face "Good move Marie, but now you have a very weak monster on the field with nothing to protect it. And it is my turn to summon something. So here it comes. Dark Magician of Chaos, come and win this duel for me."


	102. Chapter 102: Memories of Love, Pt 3

**Chapter 102**

Marie had really hoped that that monster wouldn't be called during the duel, but she knew that Illidan would due that is was a monster that was connected to his very soul. This was the monster that Illidan took the most pride in having in his arsenal. A mage in black armor with blue skin then appeared. He brought his staff forward into an offensive position, seemingly daring any monster to attack him.

"Now my Dark Magician of Chaos, kill that bug." commanded Illidan.

The mage pointed his staff at the brown bug and released a blast of black energy. The blast was pretty good size, and would easily crush the bug.

As the blast hit, she only thought "_This is going to hurt._"

Again Marie was thrown backwards to the ground like the last attack had done her, but this time she was thrown harder, and she heard something pop on the landing.

Illidan winced at the sight of his student flying backwards and yelled with worry in his voice "MARIE!"

Slowly, Marie opened her eyes and felt pain shooting through her right arm. She realized immediately that it was broken most likely. With her good left arm, she pushed herself back up with her right arm hanging limp. Finally, she stood back up and walked back to where she had been thrown from, showing no signs of quitting.

Illidan saw this and said in a begging tone "Marie, please give up! Just give up; I don't want to have to hurt you again."

She could tell there was great sadness in his voice, and noticed what looked like great concern and worry flashing in his eyes, which was for once readable. He had always kept his emotions hidden from her over the three years of training, and today completely refused to look at her till now.

Gritting her teeth as the pain flared up from her arm again, she yelled with tears in her eyes from the pain, anger and sadness she felt "Well you shouldn't have chosen a monster duel then. I am going to get a place on the Shadow Court, and I'm not letting anyone stop me, not even you Illidan!"

Taking a deep breath and summoning up all her strength, she said "I still have one more monster I can summon. My last choice is Tyrant Dragon!"

Realizing how foolish, if not dangerous, her move was, Illidan yelled "MARIE! NO! YOU'RE TOO WEAK! YOU COULD DIE!"

The rest of the group completely agreed and made motions to stand up. Yami quickly moved to his feet and ran for Marie, hoping to stop her before she could even try to summon the powerful dragon.

Marie paid no attention to Illidan's words though. With her left arm raised above her head, she closed her eyes and yelled "Tyrant Dragon, my strongest monster, come forth!"

She poured out more power than she had ever poured out before, using every bit of it to summon the mighty dragon. Slowly, the form of the powerful dark orange dragon took shape, till finally it appeared with a loud roar. It spread it's large wings out and let out a terrifying roar at the blue skinned mage.

Yami quickly made his way to beside Marie, preparing to use his own power to stop the dragon if it started a rampage. To his amazement, Marie seemed to have full control of the dragon, and he realized something else. Her energy was much different than before. It was at a level, much higher than he imagined she could reach. It was easily competing with his and Illidan's own energy, which was unimaginable.

Illidan noticed this change in her energy as well, realizing that this had been much like the first day he met her when she had been first tested. That day, she had somehow tapped into a deep well of power and sent Illidan flying backwards with one last burst of strength. Over the last three years, he had seen flashes of the energy time and time again, but she never could control it. Now, she seemed to have control and was using it on the mighty dark orange dragon. He smiled inwardly, knowing she had finally mastered the monster she had claimed as her own from long ago.

Marie was too involved in the fight, not to mention she had her eyes closed still yet, to notice the Pharaoh by her side. With calmness in her voice, she said "Now Illidan, if I remember right, my Tyrant Dragon is just a little stronger then your Dark Magician of Chaos. When my dragon attacks, I will win. You have already used up your three monsters. So, Tyrant Dragon, destroy Dark Magician of Chaos!"

Illidan couldn't believe what he was seeing. The dark orange dragon let loose a stream of fire directly at the mage, who smiled and closed his eyes as the blast washed over him. Illidan himself had done the same thing, letting the pain from the loss of his monster hit him head on. He wasn't hurt by the pain, for it wasn't that strong to him at the least. This duel had made him barely break a sweat. Still, he was deeply concerned about the girl he had just faced. He knew it had to have taken everything she had to beat him and then some.

In complete shock, Yami said "Winner of this match is Marie."

Marie's monster began to dissolve as she opened her eyes and looked at Yami with a weak smile. She then said in a near whisper "That was the first time I have ever been able to summon him."

With that said, her eyes rolled back into her head and Marie fell into Yami's arms. She had passed out from complete exhaustion of her mind and body.

The next thing she knew, she was opening one eye to take a look around. After a few moments, she realized she was in her own room. Sighing, she said with a grumble "I'm in too much pain to be dead."

She closed her eye again, but then heard a familiar, but sad voice of Illidan asking "Marie, how are you feeling?"

With a small smile, she weakly joked "Like a couple of monsters decided you use me for a punching bag. What time is it?"

"It's afternoon; you have been knocked out for two days." he responded.

There was a long silence till he finally said in a remorseful tone "I am so sorry Marie. I didn't want to hurt you, I really didn't. It's just I thought that if I challenged you to a Shadow Game with monsters, you would just give up. I should have known you better though, for I'm sure I made you that much more determined to win. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Another long silence followed, and he took the hint, and said "I am sorry. You're mad at me, aren't you?"

In a sad, yet calm tone, she said "Yes, I am."

Sighing, he stood and said "I'll leave then and tell the others you're awake."

Marie rolled over so her back was to the door and facing away from him. When she heard the door open and close, she let herself finally cry. Everything was so wrong at that moment. Illidan didn't believe in her at all, meaning he could never be her suitor now. He didn't even want her on the Shadow Court, which infuriated her even farther and made her cry even harder.

She now had everything she had worked for in her life to get. She was finally free from the bonds of slavery, and was able to protect herself, but still… None of that mattered to her. The things she really wanted were now out of grasp thanks to his selfish pride and attempt to make her lose. She cried even harder, feeling as if she was now lost in the world.

She heard the door open again, thinking it was the others or possibly Yami. In an attempt to stop crying, she failed miserably and realized she couldn't stop. She didn't even try to fight a set of strong arms that pulled her into a sitting position.

Marie had her eyes tightly shut, tears still flowing down her face when she heard a sorrow filled voice say "What's wrong?"

Only then Marie opened her tear filled eyes to look at man before her. It was Illidan again, with a look of concern on his face.

"Where are the others?" she asked between sobs.

"Yami's holding court right now, so he and the others couldn't come. Now, why are you crying? Are you in pain? I can get you something for it if you are." he asked with much worry in his voice.

Sighing, she took a deep breath, realizing if she didn't say this now, she never would be able to. Slowly, she said "I am in pain, but it's not my injuries that are the pain. Why did you do that Illidan? You almost destroyed all I, no we, had worked for, for three years, and for what? Why did you try to stop me from joining?"

The question shocked Illidan, but seemingly hurt him slightly too. Slowly, he replied with kindness in his voice "Because being on the Shadow Court is dangerous. I don't want to you ever get hurt because of that danger."

"Then why did you train me?" she demanded.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and then opened them, seemingly letting his defenses down for the first time. Staring into her eyes, he said "At first because Yami asked me to. After a while… something changed, and I knew that I had to protect you always. I only kept teaching you so I could see you everyday."

Marie looked deeply into his eyes and realized what Illidan was saying and was going to say. How had he hid it from her? It was plainly there in his eyes for all to see. Was it due that he kept on edge all the time, hiding his emotions so well that none could really see into his soul?

Slowly, as he looked deep into her eyes, he said "Marie, I love you."

Marie's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't believe her ears. He had said the words she had longed to hear. What she had mistaken as hatred or anger was nothing more than him trying to protect her. He didn't want any harm to come to her is why he tried to stop her from joining.

Realizing this, she jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering "I love you too Illidan."

After a moment, she let go and said "I was crying because I thought you didn't even like me."

He raised his hand up and gently wiped the tears from her eyes, and said "Never once have I not liked you. You were always there for me, and I always tried to be there for you. I think I've been in love with you for quite some time. I'm so sorry you thought I didn't love you. I will always love you forever."

After that declaration, they fell into a deep love that no one could destroy. Within that month, the two were married by Set with Yami as Illidan's Best Man. The day of their wedding, Yami proclaimed them to be his Tomb Keeper's, officially making them his brother and sister.

Those were happy times, but those times didn't last forever. About a year and half later, the Egyptian God's had a rampage on Cairo. It had been caused by a foolish commander in the Egyptian Army who had tried to summon Ra to defeat an invading army, but in turn, Ra brought with him Obelisk and Slifer. The three destroyed the invading army, as well as the Egyptian Army. The rampage was finally put down, but not without bloodshed on the Egyptian Gods parts.

The rampage then triggered a discussion among the Shadow Court to rid Egypt of the Shadow Magic that threatened the very well being of the kingdom. It was then decided that eight items would be created to house the powerful Shadow Magic, one item for each of the Shadow Court members. All was going well till the final item was created. Marie remembered how things had gone so horribly wrong when the last of the Shadow Magic had been sealed away within the Millennium Crown. The power of the crown drove Gozaburo mad, making his feelings of jealousy over Marie a million times worse.

She would never forget the day he betrayed them all, nearly killing everyone, including herself. Eventually, Yami did succumb to death due to the attack Gozaburo had made against him, but the others all lived, but each suffered. Set had lost his right arm to that battle. Bakura's greed and darkness became apparent, probably an after effect of the crown. It would seal the once gentle man's soul's fate. Shadi was made immortal to protect the items for all eternity, while Pegasus had been blinded due to the attack.

Illidan had walked away with only a few scars, mentally he never healed. For years, he blamed himself for the loss of Yami, and still did to her knowledge. Marie luckily escaped with only the small scar on her back from Gozaburo's attack.

Illidan and Marie then lived out a happy life each. They ruled Egypt till their deaths. She had died first, hating to leave Illidan alone to suffer, but she couldn't hold on any longer. Illidan suffered on for a short time, but finally gave out himself due to his own grief from Marie's loss.

Eventually, Egypt faded and was conquered many times. It eventually arose again, but was only a shadow of it's former self.

Both Illidan and Marie were eventually reborn. Both knew from the get go when they saw each other for the first time at the tender age of fifteen, that they seemed destined to be together. They fell in love with one another quickly, and each seemed to know one another very well. It was odd to her and him that they seemed to know each other so well at first, but it didn't bother her too much. Eventually, when they joined this tournament, they figured out why. It was due that they had once been star crossed lovers five thousand years ago, and now had been reborn to fall in love with one another again.

"Hopefully though, this time there won't be another confrontation with Gozaburo. I don't want to lose him…" she softly said as she stared down at Illidan's sleeping form. Tears streamed from her eyes, as she stared at the man she loved with her entire soul.

Yes, he could be pig headed and stubborn sometimes, but she loved him for all that he was. He knew usually when she was sad. He had been able to pick up on most of her moods, and he could always make her happy again. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her and she knew she could always count on him, as well as he knew he could always count on her.

She continued to watch for several hours. At 3 A.M., Bakura returned. He had been gone since 8 P.M., so he had fully recharged his energies. He went to the other side of the bed and began healing Illidan. Slowly, the minor bruises Illidan had on his body disappeared. Finally, Bakura began replenishing Illidan's energy. Painstakingly slowly, Bakura gave all the energy he had. Finally, he finished. He stood and sighed, seeing his friend hadn't awoken yet.

He turned to Marie and sighed again, saying "I guess he needs more rest. He'll be awake sooner or later though. In the mean time, you should get some sleep also Marie."

She turned towards him and replied "No, I'll wait. He'll be up soon, I hope. Anyways, we have the day off today. It'll be alright."

Bakura nodded, knowing she meant it, so he left in silence. Once gone, she continued her watch over Illidan all night, right into morning. At 9 A.M., Illidan slightly stirred. It was slight, but it was a sign that he was probably almost ready to reawaken.

About this time, each duelist was receiving an email to their computers. Each email gave a specific time when they were to meet with Gozaburo to discuss the rules of the final 10-way duel. There was a 30 minute gap between each meeting, so that the duelists could spend the rest of the day preparing for the final duel.

At 9:30, Keith was called first. Once at Gozaburo's door, he kicked it in, nearly knocking it off it's hinges.

In a rough voice, he yelled "What do you want chump?"

Gozaburo glared at the pitiful excuse for a former Intercontinental Champion and said "Take a seat."

Keith roughly dragged a seat out and sat down in it. He then stared at Gozaburo with a burning fury behind his sunglasses. Gozaburo then reached into his desk and pulled out his Millennium Crown.

With a smirk playing upon his face, he asked "Ever seen this before Keith?"

Keith glared at the crown as Gozaburo easily slid it on his head. It bore an ancient eye on it, which Keith instantly recognized as the eye like design from when he faced Pegasus and from when he was taken control by Marik.

Roughly, he said "That's some kind of freaking symbol that was used against me by Marik. Where did you get it you punk!"

Gozaburo was irritated beyond belief by Keith, so he decided to do what he'd originally had planned. He activated the crown and then took control of Keith's mind. Keith yelled out in pain as Gozaburo reached into it and took firm control, forcing Keith to finally relax.

"You will do as I instruct you. We shall crush all of the competitors. Do you understand?" Gozaburo asked.

Keith nodded. His brain was already like mush, so he had no choice. Gozaburo then pointed to the door and instructed Keith with "Return to your room. I will guide you to there. Till tomorrow, my slave."

Keith nodded and left. About 20 or so minutes later, Mai entered. Like Keith, she was taken over. It was a simple task for Gozaburo to control her mind as well.

Seto walked in later with much irritation. Gozaburo watched as his adopted son kicked the door down as he entered. Seto was in one of those moods that no one wanted to mess with him.

He sat down and said roughly "What do you want!"

Gozaburo laughed and grabbed his crown and placed it on his head. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time Seto! Take this!"

Gozaburo then powered up the crown and tried to take control of Seto's mind. Seto screamed out in pain as Gozaburo entered his mind, trying extremely hard to take a firm grasp of it. When he was near, a golden light appeared. There was another Millennium Symbol. This one was powerful and stopped Gozaburo from succeeding. Suddenly, Gozaburo saw an image of the ancient sorcerer known as Set from Egypt. Then Gozaburo was kicked completely out of Seto's mind.

When he was sent back out into the world, Seto had his hands covering his head, still screaming. A trickle of blood was coming out his nose from where he'd concentrated so hard on keeping his mind away from Gozaburo.

During this confrontation, the Millennium Rod had activated. It had prevented Seto's mind from being taken over. Marik realized that the link between Seto and the rod was still not severed.

Back in Gozaburo's office, Gozaburo growled in frustration, knowing he'd failed. Seto slowly stood up, still dizzy from the whole experience. He slowly walked to the door, his steps somewhat fumbling. He finally made it out of the room, leaving an angry Gozaburo. Gozaburo was infuriated that his Millennium Crown had failed to capture Seto's mind.

He sat there and sulked for a while till Bakura came knocking on his door. He looked up and smiled, slamming his crown's power at full force at the boy. Easily, he overpowered Bakura's mind, taking full control. He went to unlock the spirit of the Millennium Ring, but found that he was sealed away, by Illidan's seal no less. He growled in frustration but accepted his next victim.

He now had 3 under his control, and soon many more. One by one, Gozaburo called people in. With difficulty, he took control of Noa's mind. He struggled to take Marik's as well, but succeeded. He was unable to take over Joey's though. Joey's shear willpower overpowered his crown. Joey barely made it out before Gozaburo could react to the shock of not succeeding.

He frowned and then realized Marie was next. He laughed evilly as he knew he would soon have her mind enslaved. Then he'd have her at last. She'd remain totally devoted and loyal as long as he controlled the Millennium Crown.

Back in Illidan's room, Marie sat by Illidan's bed still. She had taken a small nap earlier, but had gotten up to go take a quick shower and to change her clothes. While in her room, she checked her email and found out she had to meet Gozaburo today, like all the others. Illidan was still in no shape to go meet with him, so she figured she'd tell Gozaburo then to let him rest.

She put on an old t-shirt and tight blue jeans, and then went to go check on Illidan. He was still asleep. His Millennium Key was softly glowing, which surprised her.

"That's odd. Why is it glowing?" she asked out loud.

She gently took hold of it, feeling the warmth of it. She tried to sense anything coming out of the key but got nothing. She shrugged and went on making sure Illidan was still asleep.

Finally convinced he was fully asleep yet, she gave him a kiss on the forehead, saying "I love you. Stay strong for me till I get back."

He seemed to stir slightly in his sleep, as if her kiss had slightly awakened his mind. Still, his body slept on. Smiling, she turned and left the one she loved to sleep on.


	103. Chapter 103: Struggles and Slavery

**Hey everyone. Well, I'm glad everyone liked the last two chapters. Cindy mostly thought up a great deal of the past for me, although I had similar ideas, but she did an excellent job. At any rate, now you all know how they met. There is some stuff in between and after, but that's left for Cindy (in case you all don't know, that's my fiancé's name, lol) to fill in. She is going to also put in some stuff that will tie in with my final sequel to this story line. Btw, thanks everyone. I have exactly 300 reviews, and I'm excited about that fact. I never dreamed I'd get that many, and I'm just so shocked I have them. Thank you all once again. Well, now it's time for some reviews.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Thanks for the congrats. I'm sure you could write something good. Lol, I still pick at mine, thinking it's not good enough due that I catch errors here and there. Yeah, their history is sweet. Yep, Joey beat him. Btw, as you saw in Cindy's story, he may have a reason why he was able to resist. You guessed it right about who it was fighting in the past with Illidan and his father. As for Marie, we'll see soon what happens.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, maybe Keith will duel good for once. That'd be scary, lol. Yep, their relationship was a bit bumpy at first, but it smoothed out. Whenever Cindy gets to writing more on her story, you'll get to see more about it. And nah, she never did, although she threatened to kill me after we were lab partners once (before we dated). See, she happened to have her hair down in chemistry class, and she happened to be leaning over towards our burner. Well, the fun person I am, I wasn't paying attention at that and thought why not turn up the gas. Lol, I turned it up, and she jumped back, for I think I almost set her hair on fire. It got slightly singed on a few ends, but she was fine. She won't let me forget about that either… But yeah, Illidan has plenty to compete with. I think he'd be fine. As for the three Sacred Beasts, they're hard to tie in at this point. I will discuss them later though, so till then, no beasts, lol. Thanks for the idea though. If not for the fact I had finished this thing a while back, I'd probably do it, but I just don't have the energy, time, or the desire (I spent too much time already) to update this thing. I think I spent like a year and a half writing it, then another 2 or 3 months correcting it (the original had so many plot holes it wasn't funny).**

**Strawberry Cake: Lol, thanks. It's hard to tell how they can. And thanks for saying they blend in so well. Lol, they did make it difficult to explain the end of the show though, which rather sucks. Looks at Ryou. I don't think so… Wait, he is!**

**pink-kiss-candy: Indeed they do. And yes, poor Ryou. Pokes him with stick. Yep, he's alive, maybe.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, maybe she'll figure it out. I figure Joey isn't going to be able to say too much after that fight.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: He took over Marik's mostly due that Marik isn't as strong as the others. As for Joey, he has past roots (lol, me and Cindy gave him some to explain why he's able to resist the Shadows so much). It would have been more fun true with all 10 going at it on their own, but Gozaburo has other plans, which involve getting rid of Illidan and any other competition that stands in his way.**

**Well, that's all I have. Thank you all for the 300 reviews. As a treat, I'll post two chapters this morning. Thanks again to everyone.**

**Chapter 103**

Slowly Marie made her way towards Gozaburo's office. She was noticing for the first time during the day that the tower had been so quiet. Usually it was full of voices from the duelists and their friends, but no sound was heard along the way.

At long last, she arrived at the office where Gozaburo resided. She sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be fun. The last time she had been alone with Gozaburo had been five millennia ago, and that still wasn't enough time to be away from him to her. That time had led to disaster too, which didn't help make this any easier.

She only hoped that this time Gozaburo would take her seriously and forget about her. She wanted to only be friends in ancient times, and that's all she'd extend this time, but something told her he wouldn't have that. "_He's too corrupt to probably realize that too. He should know by now my heart belongs to one person, and only one person. And that one person is Illidan, not him. I love Illidan too much to ever betray him. Gozaburo should know first hand that I'll never be with or serve him._"

Sighing one more time, she knocked on the beaten and battered door. She heard a familiar "Come in" that sent chills down her spine.

Slowly, she entered, going on guard instantly. There in his throne sat Gozaburo in all his so called glory. On his head was the Millennium Crown, the same Millennium Item that had cost Yami his life. The same item that nearly cost her and all of her friends' lives, not to mention the same item that nearly tore her world apart by nearly taking Illidan's life.

She glared at him and slowly came forward. He motioned for her to take a seat, and she cautiously sat down in the chair, not once letting her eyes trail away from Gozaburo.

At the same time, Gozaburo never took his eyes off of her either. He watched her closely, making slight note to all her movements. To him, she was like poetry in motion.

Smiling, he said "Welcome Marie. Glad you could make it. I take it Illidan is awake, or is he still sleeping?"

Marie only scowled at Gozaburo's mocking question. "_He knows darn well that Illidan is still unconscious. Why bother with such a foolish question._" she mentally yelled.

"Because I can, my dear." he replied, as if seemingly reading her thoughts.

She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts, realizing he had read her mind. Quickly, she put up a mental barrier, shielding her thoughts from Gozaburo. Gozaburo only chuckled at her efforts.

"Still the same beautiful, clever girl you always were, aren't you Marie? You haven't changed in five millennia according to the memories of this crown." he said while staring at her intensely with hungry eyes. Those eyes frightened Marie to the core. It was the same eyes that Gozaburo Tark had had. Everything in his eyes looked the same.

She suddenly realized that Illidan had been correct. He was the true reincarnation of Gozaburo. The crown had truly resurrected him. Now she realized the mistake she had made by coming here. Without Illidan's protection, she was in danger. Gozaburo could easily over power her. With that thought on her mind, she rose to leave. She turned to walk out when she felt something suddenly.

Turning around, she saw the Millennium Crown glowing brightly as it's power flared out. Gozaburo then yelled "DARE TO TURN AND LEAVE ME AGAIN DO YOU? THEN YOU WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE!"

With that, she was hit with a tremendous mental wave. The wave was designed to disable her long enough for him to take control of her mind. She fell to the ground, in pain from the wave. Quickly, she frantically tried to stand. She was literally dragging herself to the door. She was almost there when she felt the crown's power flare up again.

She was grabbed by its energy and flung back to the middle of the room. She screamed for help as she was tossed back in, but it was falling upon deaf ears. Gozaburo then began to probe her mind, attempting to gain control. She screamed as he entered her mind, knowing what he was trying to do. With all her will power, she forced him out with the power of her Millennium Necklace. It took a good deal of strength to force him out, but she did succeed.

Lying there in the floor, panting, Marie realized she had to leave, and fast. She struggled to stand but was hit by another mental wave entering her mind. Again, it attempted to gain control of her mind and body. She cried out in pain, slamming to her knees while holding her head. With all her might, she once again pushed him out of her mind. She succeeded again, but knew she couldn't keep this up. The worst part was, with each attempt stopped, she grew weaker. Her physical strength was leaving her, and leaving fast.

With all the strength she had inside herself, she scrambled to her feet. Traveling as fast as she could without falling, she ran towards the door.

As she approached, she heard "YOU WON'T ESCAPE ME! I WILL HAVE YOU UNDER MY CONTROL!"

Once again, a mental wave hit her. This one was stronger than the previous two. Summoning all the strength she had in her body, she pushed back, to only find him pushing back with equal force. She was crying due to the extreme pain already, but pushed all the pain aside and summoned all her strength. Again, she made an attempt to push him out, but couldn't quite do it.

She cried out "YOU WON'T CONTROL ME! I LOVE HIM TOO MUCH TO LET YOU WIN!"

Giving everything she had, she forced Gozaburo out again. This was a costly victory though. Now she was totally exhausted. She had no strength left and was left sitting there, panting, just trying to catch her breath and summon enough strength to get up. It never came though. She was too tired to move. She felt betrayed by her body.

She looked up to see Gozaburo in front of her with an evil smile on his face.

"Looks like your love isn't strong enough to save you, my dear. Now, be a good girl and give into the darkness. It won't hurt very much if you do." he said with evil in his eyes.

He then began to reach out again with a mental wave. It hit her hard once more, causing her to scream in pain. She curled up into a protective ball, screaming for him to stop. She pushed back with all that she had, which wasn't much. The small bit of energy she had left was fleeing fast.

Before she felt him take away all her reserves, she cried out "I'M SO SORRY ILLIDAN! I'M SO SORRY!"

Tears were flowing plentiful from her eyes as she had said this. Slowly, she felt her last defenses slip away. Then all went dark to her. Her mind was completely taken over, leaving Gozaburo in control.

He let out a triumphant evil laugh, knowing only one more person stood in his way. That one person could be the difference maker in Illidan winning or losing the tournament.

Gozaburo then yelled "You're next, Yami, muwhahaha!"

Meanwhile, in his room, Illidan thrashed about in his sleep. His key felt that something had happened, but he wasn't awake enough to show him. Illidan's peaceful dreams had become nightmares, ones that he couldn't awaken from. Ones where Marie was taken from him, with no way to get her back. Tears formed in his tightly closed eyes as he continued to thrash about.

Elsewhere, Yugi was slowly walking towards Gozaburo's office. Yami was walking along side of his friend in spirit form. The two were conversing about Yami's ancient past. Yugi was filled with questions for Yami about the memories he had recently reacquired thanks to Illidan.

"So, you knew Marie before Illidan did?" asked a curious Yugi.

Smiling at his friend, he replied "Yes, I did. From what has reawakened in my memories, I got to know her while he was away training."

Yugi then asked "How did you two meet?"

Yami chuckled at the curiosity within Yugi. His innocence and curiosity was always fun to deal with. Thinking back, he said "Well, at the time, I was age nine. My father had just passed away within the year, making me Pharaoh. Every pharaoh always had to have a personal servant, and I had yet to pick one out."

Suddenly remembering he could show Yugi the memory, he said "I'll show you, since it's easier to do it than explain everything."

Slowly, Yami brought forth the memory so Yugi could see it for himself. Suddenly, Yugi began to see the memory. He was in spirit form, right beside Yami. They saw two people walking towards what looked like a hut.

The first was a young child, which was Yami. Leading him was what looked like a royal advisor. They arrived shortly at the hut to find several slaves and their master out bowing before the Pharaoh.

Yami, the child version, made a motion and they stood back up.

"I don't know way I have to do this." a nine-year-old Yami whined.

He wanted to be out playing with his friends or anything else but doing boring things like finding a personal servant.

"Because young Pharaoh, you need a personal servant. You have many responsibilities and they'll help you with them. How about this one?" asked Yami's advisor, who was pointing out a male slave who was about 25 years old, who somehow looked like he hadn't seen a day of hard work.

Shaking his head, Yami replied stubbornly "He is too old. If this person is going to be with me all the time, I want someone my age."

He then walked on down the line of slaves as his advisor said "But young Pharaoh, you also want someone with experience with the matters of a house."

"That won't matter with time. If I pick someone my age, by the time they're his age," Yami stopped to point at the 25 year old slave, "they will have 15 years experience."

The advisor started to counter argue to that, but Yami stopped paying attention. Something, more like someone, had caught his eye instead. He had spotted a small slave girl. She was hiding slightly behind a woman's leg. Her clothing was nothing more than rags, her hair cut incredibly short.

Silently to himself, he thought "_To keep it out of her way while she works._"

Of course, he assumed this, but it seemed logical. Everything about the girl was dirty looking. The slave master noted who Yami was looking at.

"You don't want her, my Pharaoh. She is nothing but a harvesting slave. She knows nothing about even living in a house, let alone keeping one clean." he simply stated.

Yami turned quickly to the man and asked "What do you mean 'knows nothing about living in a house?'"

Sighing, the slaver said slowly and sarcastically "Harvesting slaves live out in the fields. They don't need housing."

"YOU WILL NOT TALK TO THE PHARAOH THAT WAY!" bellowed Yami's advisor.

The slaver replied with "You should be thankful…"

Again, Yami stopped paying attention to his advisor, and made a mental note to make it mandatory for all slaves to have homes. After noting that, he turned back to the girl. The girl retreated even farther behind the woman now.

Yami looked up to the woman, and kindly asked "Is she your daughter?"

Shaking her head, the woman replied "No, I just watch out for her, Your Majesty. Come out here, Marie, and let the Pharaoh see you properly."

The girl, Marie, seemed reluctant to leave her hiding place but did as she was told. She kept her eyes looking at the ground. The girl looked worse close up. Her skin was burned red from the sun, and was dried and peeling. She was underweight, and up close, Yami could tell that she was as old, if not older, than he was. Yami made another mental note, this one about checking on the health of all slaves.

Once it was stowed away in memory, he smiled and said "Hi Marie. My name is Yami. Why don't you look up at me?"

"Because it is bad to look at people that are better than me in the face." she said in a small voice, and then added belatedly "Your Majesty."

Gently, yet kindly, Yami replied "Not if the person asks you too, so look me in the eye."

The girl slowly looked up at him and the view he saw startled Yami. He expected to see a broken sprit, someone with nothing left to live for or hope for but that wasn't what he saw in her eyes. Instead, Marie's eyes burned with the bright light of life. She knew she was better then her situation and hoped for better. More then that, she seemed to be reading everything about Yami. His past, present and future seemed laid bare for her to see.

Yami fought the urge to look away, knowing he shouldn't and couldn't. "_Pharaohs do NOT look away from slave's gazes._" his mind screamed.

After a moment, the girl smiled and said "I have never seen a pharaoh before. You seem nice."

The girl then looked at Yami's advisor and the slaver, who were still arguing. Inwardly, Yami sighed. He felt like he had passed some kind of test, but what he wasn't sure. Something about how she had looked at him made him feel worried, but he wasn't sure what it was.

His thoughts were interrupted by Marie saying "My master isn't a good man, but your advisor is, I think."

Her statements confused Yami for a moment, but decided to consider them later. Yami also looked at the two arguing.

He then cleared his throat loudly to get their attention, and said "I will take this girl, Marie, to be my personal servant."

Yami's declaration made both men start arguing with him, but Yami paid them no mind. He then turned to Marie and gently took her by the hand.

Kindly, he said "Come now, let's get you home and cleaned up. I'm sure one of the slaves at the palace will help you learn your duties."

As they started to walk away, the woman that had been with Marie yelled "Marie, don't look back!"

The memory then ended, and Yugi, along with Yami, regained their sense of the world. Yugi smiled at Yami and patted his friend on the back.

"That was great how you saved her. If not for you, she may have died there a slave." he said with pride in his friend's actions.

Yami smiled and nodded, saying "I don't remember too much more after that. I should regain the rest of my memories one day... I wish I could remember more…"

Yugi looked at his partner and smiled, and said "Don't worry; you'll get them back one day. For now though, we have to see Gozaburo and find out what he's planning."

With that said, the two continued on, not knowing the danger that awaited them.


	104. Chapter 104: Desperate Fight

**Chapter 104**

They finally arrived to Gozaburo's office. Both stood outside the door to the office of the creator of this tournament, as well as the owner of the Millennium Crown.

In a serious tone, Yami said "Yugi, let me take over. He's far too dangerous and powerful for you. I might stand a chance, at the least, so let's switch."

Yugi nodded and called out "Yu-Gi-Oh!"

In a flash of golden light, Yugi's body made room for the spirit of Yami. Yami opened his eyes and then went to open the door when it suddenly flew open on its own.

There stood Marie, or what someone who looked like Marie. The most noticeable part that was odd was on her forehead. There glowed a Millennium Symbol. Next were her eyes, which were eerie looking, almost like they were glazed over in a haze.

"Welcome Pharaoh, or should I say, Yami!" Marie said in an odd voice.

It sounded like it was her voice laid overtop of another, which was more masculine. Suddenly it hit Yami whose voice it was when he looked back further in the office to see Gozaburo in his throne with his Millennium Crown on, laughing at Yami.

"NO!" screamed Yami. He grabbed Marie by her shoulders as gently as he could, shaking her slightly.

"Snap out of it Marie! Fight him! I know you can break free! Remember who you are! Fight back!" Yami said in a panicked voice.

Gozaburo only laughed again, saying "You fool, she is under my control, and she shall never leave my side, right my dear?"

That said, Marie broke Yami's small hold on her and backed over to stand beside Gozaburo. She gave off a smile that looked quite evil.

In his mind, Yugi called to Yami, saying "_Oh no! It's just like how Marik took over Tea and Joey, except this time its Gozaburo taking over Marie. We have to free her._"

Yami replied back with "_I know, but how? We have to get through, but with what?_"

It suddenly came to Yami in a flash, and he said to Yugi "_I'll use my memory of her. Maybe that'll free her Yugi._"

In his mind, Yugi replied "_Yes, that should work, I hope._"

Yami then concentrated on Marie again, and said in a calm voice "Marie, try to remember who you are. I remember you from long ago in ancient times. You were a slave girl who was just nine years old. Remember how much you desired to be free and not controlled by another person. That's why I know you can break free. Try to remember and fight back!"

Gozaburo laughed again, replying with "She'll never be free Pharaoh, and there is no one that can stop me. Now, be a good Pharaoh and surrender yourself as well. Refuse, and I'll take control of you as well."

Yami only growled when Gozaburo threatened him with this. In his mind, he was frantically trying to think of a way to save Marie. Him and Yugi both conversed about what to do.

Yugi began with "_What if we try to break the hold on her mind with our own power?_"

Yami replied with "_No, we're not strong enough. Even with all my power I don't think I could break that bond. We have to find a way though._"

Both thought for a second when they realized there might be one way to get through after all.

"_If we bring up the love she has for Illidan, it could free her mind from Gozaburo. What do you think Yami?_" asked Yugi.

Yami thought for a second before replying with "_It's the only chance we have at this particular time. Let's try._"

Returning to the events, Yami cried out to Marie "Marie, please try and remember your love for Illidan! Remember how much he cares for you! He has loved you for so long! Please, try and concentrate on that!"

Marie physically flinched. For a moment, her eyes returned to normal, as if she was breaking free at last.

Gozaburo growled that the foolish Pharaoh had said something that would break his control over her, even if it was a momentarily break. He then poured on the power and fully enslaved her mind again. She tried to resist and break free, but she couldn't. She was far too weak from the battles with him before to resist and was easily taken back over. Her eyes then returned to the eerie look again and an evil smile came on her face.

Yami bit his lip, knowing he'd succeeded for a moment, but knew Gozaburo had overpowered her mind once again.

Gozaburo only laughed triumphantly as he'd again conquered her mind. Then he glared at Yami, saying "And now Pharaoh, for you!"

He began reaching out with his Millennium Crown's awesome powers and started trying to take over his mind. Gozaburo's plan was to first take over little Yugi's mind, then to take control of Yami's mind. He started targeting Yugi's mind.

Yugi appeared beside Yami in spirit form and doubled over, holding his head. He screamed in pain as Gozaburo started probing his mind, attempting to grasp full control.

Yami then stepped in and used his Millennium Puzzle to force Gozaburo to focus his attack on himself instead of Yugi. Basically, he shielded Yugi from the blunt of the blow. He screamed in pain and anguish as the probing began.

When Yugi stopped feeling the pain and realized what Yami had done, he cried out "No, Pharaoh!"

Yami was fighting a tough battle within his mind. Gozaburo was strong, but Yami kept thinking of what would happen to his friends if he failed to stop this madman. If he let Gozaburo take over his mind, his friends, not to mention Yugi, would all be in danger. If he put them in that kind of danger, he'd never be able to forgive himself. With all his power, he fought back, throwing Gozaburo from his mind. It had taken a great deal of his power to do so, but he was still rather strong.

He was on his knees, panting hard, trying to catch his breath. Yami then looked up to see Gozaburo was caught up in the feedback from being thrown out.

The shock of being thrown out had always stopped him for at least a minute or so before against other people, so this was nothing new for him. That was how the others had escaped. When the feedback had hit Gozaburo before, they fled. Unfortunately for Marie, when she had tried, she was too weak to escape. Now that Gozaburo was caught up in his feedback, Yami tried to stand.

"MARIE!" bellowed Gozaburo. "DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"

Marie nodded and quickly walked over in front of the door to the office and blocked it off with her body. Yami didn't want to hurt her, but at the same time, he couldn't afford to remain in the same room either.

With pleading eyes, he said "Marie, please, snap out of it. You have to break free. Think of your friends and family. Think of Illidan! If Gozaburo wins, he'll be more than likely fed to the Shadow Realm! Please, try and break free for his sake at the least!"

Marie flinched again. The words brought up memories of the past, mostly of her and Illidan in ancient times, how he had protected her from the horse trainers that one day. Then another memory of him talking and sharing his thoughts with her throughout her training. Again another memory of when he had proclaimed his love for her. Then one last flash of the day they married and then how he'd protected her from Gozaburo of that time. How he'd always cared so much for her, always sacrificing his all to just be with her. Those images began running through her mind, and she desperately began to fight for control over her mind. As she fought for control, her Millennium Necklace began to glow more and more brightly.

While she struggled, Gozaburo was finally freed from the feedback and yelled "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT PHARAOH! NOW BECOME MY SLAVE!"

He slammed a large amount of his energy into Yami, forcing the powerful young man to his knees again. He screamed out in pain, holding his head, trying desperately to free himself from this torment. He was in terrible pain, for it felt like his head would explode. Slowly, he was feeling the darkness surround him, knowing that if he slipped into it, he would lose total control of his mind. Again, the thought of his friends being lost due to him failing to protect them, and how he would hate himself for leaving them in that position. Digging deep for inner strength that he didn't know he even had, he began pushing the darkness away with all the light in his heart.

Gozaburo began feeling his grasp slipping again and decided he could not afford to take another feedback blast. Shoving more power forward, he screamed "YOU THINK YOU'LL WIN? THEN TAKE THIS!"

He sent more power from his evil crown, causing the darkness surrounding the Pharaoh to increase again. It was a more powerful burst of energy than Yami could handle at once. The light in his heart was slowly fading.

In his mind, he screamed out to Yugi, saying "_YUGI! I CAN'T HOLD IT BACK MUCH LONGER! PLEASE, HELP ME!_"

With all his strength, Yugi, who was still in spirit form beside Yami, rose again. He then remerged with Yami and started combing the light within his heart with Yami's. Together, they pushed the power of the light into the darkness. Slowly, the darkness was being forced to retreat.

Growling with more frustration, Gozaburo pushed more power into his crown. He began laughing manically as he could feel Yami and his little friend weakening.

Yami and Yugi were both pushing everything they had into generating the light. It was slowly draining both.

Yugi cried out "_Yami, I'm not sure how much longer I can hang on! I'm so sorry!_"

Yami tried pushing more power forward to try and take more of the brunt of the blow, but he knew if he fell, Yugi would fall into the darkness as well.

With pain in his voice, Yami sorrowfully said "_No need to be sorry Yugi! It's my fault we're in this disadvantage. If only I could tap into more of my power…_"

While the struggle continued, Marie was fighting the darkness within her own heart. Gozaburo's power was so strong, but with him fighting Yami, his grasp over her had weakened considerably. With all her might and strength within, she poured out more energy than she had ever. This was the untapped power she had had as a young child. This was the power that would have made her the strongest in Egypt. It was the power that Yami's father had feared would upset the balance of things and destroy his family's dynasty, thus ending his son's future reign. Now with all this new found power, she poured it out, banishing the darkness from her mind and freeing herself once again.

Gozaburo felt it suddenly, as a huge backlash of power came from Marie, severing the link with her. It was enough to distract him and cause him to lose focus on Yami.

Yami felt the focus of Gozaburo slipping and he looked deep within himself for any and all strength he could find. He remembered how much he loved his friends, and how if he was gone, they'd all be powerless to save themselves. This caused a major surge of energy to come forth and destroyed the darkness in his mind, forcing Gozaburo out.

With the double shock of Marie and Yami forcing him out of their minds, Gozaburo was physically thrown out of his throne. He laid there panting for a moment, knowing the double feedback would cost him precious time.

Now Marie was free, as well as Yami. She fell to her knees as her eyes returned to normal, and the Millennium Symbol disappeared, but her Millennium Necklace still glowing with intense power. It was such a bright golden light that it was nearly blinding.

Yami looked back at Marie and smiled, knowing thanks to his friend, he had been given the chance to free himself. Slowly, he dragged himself to his feet and walked over to her, knowing that they didn't have time to waste. Grabbing her hand, he began to yank her up. Still, she sat there, not making any motion to stand up.

Yami turned back towards her and yelled "Marie, hurry! We must go before he regains his full power!"

Still, she sat there, her eyes swelled up with tears. "I… I can't go Yami. I'm too… I'm too exhausted to move." she said in a sad voice.

Staring at her in shock, he then began to get ready to carry her out. She placed a hand on his chest as he was bending over to pick her up.

In a chocked up sobbing voice, she said "No… don't do it. You can't carry me and escape. There isn't enough time. He'll be up before we could escape, and neither of us have enough power to stop him again. Please, go and save yourself."

Yami looked at her with tears in the corners of his eyes. With full concern in his voice, he replied "But I can't leave you! He'll resume control if I leave you, and you know that!"

She nodded, knowing that it would happen. "I know…" she said in a small voice. More tears welled in her eyes as she continued. "… but, I have to stay. It will give you enough time to run. If I stay, you'll survive and be able to save Illidan as well."

Now she was shaking as the tears continued to stream down her face. In a voice filled with sorrow, she continued. "Please, save him, Yami. He is the key to it all. If he survives, we all have a chance to still fix things. Please, save him! And tell him this. I will always love him, and know he'll save me! Also, only Joey and Seto are free right now. The others are all captured by Gozaburo as well. Let him know this. Now please, go!"

With her final words, she then pushed on his chest, forcing him to stand up. Yami was crying as he stood there, looking at his long time friend. He understood what she was doing. She was sacrificing herself in order to save him. He didn't like it, but he had no choice. She couldn't escape on her own, and he couldn't carry her out in time. Knowing there was no other way, he turned and ran, smashing the door open and off of it's hinges on the way out. He quickly ran down the hall to the elevator and set off for the living quarters.

Meanwhile, Gozaburo finally sat back up, his head reeling from the pain inflicted by Marie and Yami's feedback. He stood and looked at the pathetic woman sitting in his floor. Marie sat there, glaring at him with eyes full of defiance.

Suddenly, it hit him. A memory of the former Gozaburo of ancient times opened up. It was one where he had talked with Illidan a day after her first testing of her Shadow Powers. He had bragged how his student would have been the strongest person with Shadow Powers in Egypt if she'd been trained from an earlier age. How her powers would have surpassed his own powers now if she'd trained while she'd been young. He remembered how the ancient fool had laughed at Illidan's comments, thinking Illidan had gone crazy. Now he realized Illidan wasn't lying and that he'd seen a sample of her untapped strength just a few minutes ago.

"So, that was your true power, wasn't it Marie?" he said with irritation in his voice.

She only glared at him still, refusing to look away or give up. Her eyes were filled with defiance still yet, knowing that she wouldn't give up, no matter what the cost. She had to buy Yami as much time as she could in order for him to get to Illidan.

Gozaburo sensed she was incredibly weak, knowing she couldn't resist him again most likely. Even with her untapped power still flowing through her, it was still not enough to defeat the might of his Millennium Crown. Not to mention, she was weakening. The power she had tapped into was beginning to fade away again as well. He then realized that out of necessity she had been able to tap into it.

Marie never took her eyes off the evil man in front of her. In a defiant voice, she said "You may take control of my mind and body, but you'll never control my soul. I'll fight till the bitter end and never give up. It's my love for Illidan that makes me strong and I'll never give up because I know he loves me with all his heart and soul, and you can never take that from me!"

Gozaburo laughed evilly at her and replied "That so! Then take this!"

He once again powered up the Millennium Crown, throwing his full power into it. He then reached out and began taking control of her mind.

With all the strength she had, Marie tried to push him back. The little strength she had left was no where near enough. She let a tear fall from her eyes as she felt the overwhelming darkness surrounding her.

She smiled and silently said "I love you, Illidan."

Then suddenly the darkness swallowed her whole, easily taking control of her mind.


	105. Chapter 105: Awakening and News

**Hello once more everyone. I'm glad you all liked the last two chapters. Not too much new here, for I've been working most of the day only to come home and kind of pass out, lol. I have been working on my Inuyasha story though, and it's nearly finished up. Once I finish it, I'll start back to work on my other one-shot for Yugioh. Hopefully, once I get done with it, I'll resume work on my final sequel. I thought I'd be farther on it than I am, but oh well. At any rate, onto the reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, she's his puppet. It looks slightly like Battle City, but it hopefully won't turn out that way… Btw, you idea is good. I like it, but I hate to tell you that I really don't want to work it back in now. I finished this story back in February (that was the reworks and corrections), and I just don't have the time, energy, concentration, and more than likely patience, to work on it again. Your idea is good though, for I had never thought of the Sacred Beasts as the dark Egyptian Gods. Lol, the Egyptian Gods themselves seemed dark in a way. Thank you for the suggestion though. And don't worry, I discuss the Sacred Beasts later on. There is a story to go with them coming up eventually.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yeah, I couldn't have poor Yami get taken over. Everyone would hate me then, lol. Pokes Ryou one more time with stick. Yep, he's alive.**

**Strawberry Cake: Sadly, yeah, it wasn't enough to beat Gozaburo. Yami escaped at least, but no one could really stand against the crown head on, sadly.**

**Isis the Sphinx: A messenger indeed. And yeah, it's kind of a shock.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, I liked the flash back as well. Once Cindy finishes up more of her story, you'll see more about their past. But yeah, Illidan could break down, or just explode, lol. Lol, doubtful Seto would work with anyone, although Joey might.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Who knows what will happen, well, other than me and my fiancé, lol. He might, you never know. Then again, he'd probably say "Get the hell away from me tards!" Yeah, that'd be more like a Seto response, lol.**

**x-knight20: Thanks. Yeah, I know, it was kind of sad, but she knew she had to in order to save Yami sadly. Looks at eye. Yeah, it's called a tear, lol.**

**Well, that's all I have this morning. Tomorrow should be fun. I get to drive four hours to see my fiancé. I love her to death, but I wish she wasn't so far away… Oh well, I knew that she'd be that far away when she got her job. sigh I'll just have to get over it. Anyways, I'll post in the morning, or more than like this evening. Later everyone.**

**Chapter 105**

Illidan stirred in his sleep once again. In his dreams, he was reliving painful memories, but with a twist. The memories were changed slightly, to where many other things happened.

First was the day he had lost his guardian at the age of 14. They had been in a battle with a group of mercenaries that had attacked their training grounds. Him and his guardian fought side by side with many friends he had made and trained with. In actuality, only his guardian had died that day, but in this twisted nightmare, his guardian and all his friends died in front of his eyes. The mercenaries then laughed and left a wounded Illidan to deal with his grief.

Another memory then flared up, this one of the day he had first met Marie. It was when he had returned to the stables to find three men trying to rape her. But in this memory, instead of helping her, he was forced to watch, as if he didn't exist as a person who was there. He cried out at the men and tried to stop them, but he couldn't. Then he watched as they killed her in the end, spilling her precious blood all over.

The next twisted memory was when he had first looked into Marie's eyes. Rather than gently stop her from using his Shadow Powers, he used too much strength and killed her instantly with them. He again cried with grief, knowing this time he'd been the one that had killed her.

Another painful memory erected itself then, this one of the day he declared his love to her in ancient times. But instead of accepting him, she rejected him and chose Gozaburo. He was crushed by this event. It felt as if someone had ripped his own heart out and stomped on it several times.

Finally, the last memory that had been twisted beyond belief was the day Gozaburo had been driven insane by the Millennium Crown. One by one, he killed the Shadow Court members till only Marie and Illidan remained. He then took control of Marie's mind and body, forcing her to draw a sword and attack Illidan with it. He desperately tried to wake her up from the controlling haze, but nothing worked and she began to slowly wound him. His precious crimson life force was pouring out from several wounds, but still he fought on. In her eyes was a look of rage and hatred for him. Then before she was going to deliver the final blow, she said the words he never believed he'd hear from her mouth. "I HATE YOU! NOW DIE ILLIDAN!" The words alone seemed to kill him. He had then felt the pain of the sword delivering the killing blow. He stood there, drawing in his last breaths of life as he watched Marie walk back over to Gozaburo, who then kissed him passionately. Gozaburo laughed with an evil smirk on his face and then released control of Marie. She stood there blinking her eyes for a second, then finally realized what she'd done. It was too late though. Illidan drew his last breath and died in front of her.

Suddenly, before the next nightmare could be found within his memories, he awoke. He sat up with a sudden jolt. His body was covered in sweat, and tears were running down his cheeks. He shook his head and tried to clear his mind and shake the horrible dreams out of his head.

With a sad voice, he said "So many memories, yet twisted into horrible dreams. Why though, I don't know."

He looked down to see his Millennium Key glowing softly, as if it was trying to say something.

Sighing, he decided to reach out with his key and see if he could find Marie. Usually, when he was injured or unconscious, she would stay close by. Normally, right by his bed. He looked around the room, trying to see if she was still there. He realized immediately she was gone, but when he reached out to feel her presence within the tower, he couldn't find it. He continued to search the island, thinking she must be outside. Again, he found nothing. Now he was getting worried. He could always sense when she was around with his Millennium Key, but he was picking up no traces of her at all now. It was as if she was being either shielded from him or she was hiding extremely well. She'd never been able to hide from him though, so he was unsure why he couldn't find her.

He reached out again, this time looking for the others. He found Shadi easily, for he never masked his energy now that he didn't have the Millennium Key. He searched again for others and only found Yami, who was heading towards him quickly. He concentrated again and looked for any sign of Marik and Bakura, but found not one sign of them being around. Now he was worried. Both of them had unique energies that he could easily detect. It was impossible for them to hide, for they had never had to.

Again, he stretched out his power and found Gozaburo was alive and well. "Well, that means the Millennium Key isn't busted then." he mused with a sigh.

After a moment though, he said aloud "Still, this makes little sense. Why can't I sense Marie, Marik, and Bakura? They're all three here, I'm sure of it. And why is Yami approaching me so fast?"

Illidan sighed and decided to finally to get up. He slowly climbed out of bed, realizing he was wearing only shorts and underwear. Smirking, he perversely thought "_I bet Marie dressed me. She always liked to at least undress me in ancient times._"

He then stretched out and walked over to grab some clothes out of the closet. Once he had something picked out, he decided to take a shower. He quickly grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom. He jumped in and began to scrub up. While shampooing his hair, he heard the door open. "_Strange, I thought I locked it. Oh well, guess not. Must be Marie. After all, she wouldn't lock herself out._"

He didn't even bother to feel to see who it was. Once he finished washing his hair, he shut off the water and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around his waist, he decided to walk out to greet Marie, hoping to get some whistles from her.

Instead when he walked out, there stood a worn out Yami, who was panting, and now had a red face due to embarrassment. Illidan smacked his head due to the stupidity of not trying to find out who it was.

"Uh… can you put some clothes on so we can talk Illidan?" Yami stated rather flatly.

Illidan laughed and replied with "What, can't you talk to me in this?"

Yami shook his head and kept a stern face, which wasn't that typical of Yami. Illidan realized he'd better quit joking around. He quickly went back into the bathroom and finished cleaning up, coming out finally dressed fully in jeans and a orange t-shirt.

Illidan then saw Yami sigh and he sat down. He looked a little worse for wear to say the least. His eyes were puffy, like he'd been crying. This concerned Illidan greatly, for he'd rarely seen the great Pharaoh cry in ancient times, and never in current times.

Illidan took a seat as well on a chair in front of Yami and asked "So, what is it?"

Yami looked quite troubled by something, but sighed. He closed his eyes, looking like he was about ready to cry. Slowly, he spoke, saying "Illidan, it's about Marie and the others…"

Illidan could tell this was extremely hard for Yami to talk about. He quickly asked "Does it have something to do with the fact I can't sense the other Millennium Items, other than mine, yours, Shadi's, and Gozaburo's?"

Yami slowly opened his violet eyes and nodded to him, saying "Yes, it does. The others have been taken over by Gozaburo…"

He closed his eyes as he said this. Illidan looked in disbelief at Yami. In shock, Illidan asked "All of them?"

With a nod, Yami replied with "Yes, all of them…"

Illidan now realized how hard this was for Yami. He was telling him all of the other duelists, including his beloved Marie, were captured!

Illidan stood as power began to flare out from his Millennium Key. He turned away from Yami and started walking towards the door.

Yami quickly jumped to his feet and moved in front of Illidan. He screamed "NO! You can't help them right now!"

Illidan was ready to throw Yami out of the way with a bit of his energy when he realized he couldn't afford to waste one drop of his power. "MOVE YAMI!" he said in a demanding voice.

He didn't care if Yami was the Pharaoh reborn at this moment. In fact, he didn't care about anything, other than one simple thing. The fact that he had to free Marie, at all costs. That meant if he had to sacrifice his life, so be it. Yami continued to block him though.

With eyes of determination, Yami said "No, I can't move Illidan. I promised Marie to make sure you survived. If I let you go, you'll be decimated in a battle with Gozaburo. Marie was, even when she was tapping into her hidden power."

Shocked by Yami's statement, he asked in disbelief "She… she tapped into it?"

Yami nodded, and replied with "Yes, she did. She was able to free herself while I was there by tapping into it. It was magnificent. Her power was overwhelming for a moment. But it was uncontrolled. It was only a short burst. She quickly lost it after she settled back down. But her display helped free me as well. I wasn't captured yet, but almost was. With her little display, I freed myself. I tried to bring her with me, but there wasn't time. She knew that. That's why she made me leave and come to save you, and to keep you safe for now."

Illidan's power slowly began to drop now. His Millennium Key powered down, showing signs he was calming down at the least.

He was still in shock that she had managed to tap into that hidden power. Years ago, in ancient Egypt, he had worked with her to try and tap into it. When she had started out at the age of sixteen, she had an amazing gift. She was as strong as Illidan had been when he'd left for training at age eight. This amazed him that she could control her power at such an older age without any real training.

Through three years of rigorous training, they fought to gain a handle on it. Of course, by age eighteen, most Shadow Duelists couldn't get too much stronger. They wouldn't make great gains of power like most did at when were younger. But amazingly, Marie had grown to be as strong as Yami had been when he was sixteen, which was an amazing feat for anyone. For she had gained the power with only two years of training, where it took Yami eight years to reach that level. Even at eighteen, she continued to grow stronger. Sometimes, in duels, she would find great strength within herself to summon powerful monsters.

Illidan had realized back then that she was somehow tapping into a power that manifested itself deep within her. He later decided that it was a hidden power, one which could only be summoned in times of great need. She had tapped into it during their duel during her final test. It had been what helped her summon Tyrant Dragon in that duel. There was no other true explanation for it. At the time, she had been far too weak to summon a monster. So, the simplest one to him was she had used her hidden power. After that final test, he had rarely seen her tap into again. They had continued to try and tap into it, but she never did quite learn to tap into it fully. Only in the most desperate of situations did she seem able to tap into her hidden power, but still, it was there in a flash and then faded in a flash. She never could maintain it.

He had learned after the rampage of the Egyptian Gods from Yami that Marie had tapped into her power that day as well. It was her that had stopped a rampaging Ra from destroying the entire city of Cairo. That kind of power had amazed Illidan, and he had tried to resume training her to tap into the power, but still, they never could fully tap into it.

Even after the Millennium Items had been constructed, she still seemed to be able to tap into it, but as before, only in desperate situations. The only problem was she rarely tapped into it after the items had been constructed. Illidan had figured then that possibly her hidden power had been drained due that the Shadow Magic had been sealed within the items. Perhaps her hidden strength hadn't. Now that Yami had told him about this development, he pondered how much hidden power she still had. If it was anything like in ancient times, it would make even Illidan quiver in fear at the thought of facing her in a Shadow Game.

His thoughts then turned back to the situation. Gozaburo had captured eight out of ten duelists, meaning he was planning something for the final 10-way duel. Now that Gozaburo had the eight, Illidan realized what he was attempting to do.

He looked at Yami and said "He's trying to eliminate me."

Yami nodded, replying with "It seems that way. What better a way to eliminate you than with the one you love?"

Illidan's eyes were filled with strong rage, just thinking of how Gozaburo was trying to destroy him. "Using my friends and the woman I love to destroy me. That is the most detestable thing he could try to do to me. I won't go down without a fight though. I'll free them, at all costs, even if that means I must sacrifice myself." Illidan said with rage flashing from his eyes.

Yami stared at his friend, feeling so sorry for him. He knew when he had left Marie that it would be difficult on Illidan to hear the news. Now Illidan was setting himself up to try and set his friends free, even at the cost of his own life.

"Wait, there might be another way. If the four of us; me, you, Seto, and Joey…"

Before Yami could continue, Illidan said "Four? I thought you said everyone but the two of us?"

Yami shook his head, and replied "I'm sorry, I meant to pass that onto you. Marie said Seto and Joey had survived their confrontations with Gozaburo."

Illidan thought for a moment, and then realized why Seto could survive. The fact he was the reincarnation of Set, the High Priest of Egypt, must have made his mind strong enough to take on Gozaburo's tactics. As for Joey, Illidan was unsure why it worked. After a moment, he remembered a person that looked like Joey that had helped him escape Cairo back when he was a child. Of course, the man he thought of was killed in battle, but he had been a nomad who had great strength. Still, he clearly remembered now that it had been Joey that had helped him escape.

Illidan was soon awoken from his thoughts, as Yami said "If we all work together, we may win the duel. But of course, there can be only one winner…"

Illidan chuckled lightly and said "You really think Seto would try and help us? He maybe the reincarnation of Set from ancient times, but he denies his past. He'll never help us now."

Yami looked at Illidan with a shocked look. "So… you knew he was Set the whole time?" he asked.

Again, Illidan chuckled and replied "Yes, I did. I knew from the first day I met him that he was more than likely Set. I can sense the Shadow Powers still within him. Even though he denies his past life now, I know it be true, for I've felt the Millennium Rod seemingly calling out to him."

Yami nodded and said "Yes, it called out to him twice during Battle City. The first time was in a duel with Ishizu. The second time was in a duel with me when our Egyptian God Cards clashed. I saw the second vision, but from what I guessed, the first one showed him something that forced him to summon his Blue-Eyes White Dragon in order to defeat Ishizu."

Illidan only smiled, knowing his former friend from the past was most likely receiving visions of his past. It was sad really though that Seto was ignoring the visions though. His past was a glorious one, at least to Illidan.

Finally shaking these feelings out of his head, he looked up again at Yami. "Will Joey help us in the duel?" he asked questionably.

Yami only smiled as Yugi's spirit form appeared. "Yes, I'm sure Joey will help us Illidan. I'd almost guarantee he will." replied the young boy.

Illidan nodded and then tried to think about how they were going to do this. "There is one problem though Yami. There are six of them and four of us. Sure, me and you have the first two positions locked down, but Joey is fourth and Seto is eighth. With Marie between you and Joey, she could easily pick off Seto or even one of us. Possibly even Joey, but more than likely she'll be forced to go after me thanks to Gozaburo. I'm sure that's his plan. He wants to pick me off as fast as possible. Then you'll be next, followed most likely by Seto, then Joey. Once the four of us are out, he doesn't care who wins."

Yami nodded again, knowing that was more than likely the plan. He stood there trying to think of a plan. "The best thing we could do is try and protect each other. If we can get rid of at least three or four opponents early, we should be a good bit safer." stated Yami flatly.

Illidan nodded, knowing full well it would take everything for them to win now. If he was to save Marie, and his new friends, he needed to win, at any and all costs.

Illidan then looked at Yami and said "Let's go find Joey and Seto. Hopefully we can get them to form an alliance with us. I know Joey would help, but Seto I could always hope for."

Yami nodded and the two stood up, leaving the room to search out their allies.


	106. Chapter 106: Alliance of Freedom

**Hey everyone. Well, tomorrow should be fun, seeing how I get to see my fiancé, thankfully. Only problem is, I have to get up at 5 and leave at 6 to make it there by 10… Then I have to leave at 6 tomorrow evening to make it home by 10… I hate the fact she's so far away… Sigh Oh well, at least I get to see her, so it's all good. Anyways, thanks for all the comments. Now, time to answer some of the reviews.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, things aren't looking that good at the moment. Things could change though, you never know. Tips your seat. That's why you sit in the back of it, lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Indeed it's high stakes now. He could be the first thrown out if he lets his ego get in the way. We'll see though, lol. True, those two are the ones that build up their life points. They're in a way the most dangerous of the group.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, he's a close second at least. Although, my future villains do get worse, lol.**

**x-knight20: Don't worry, I figured that one out in that chapter. I thank you for your tear though. Shows it in a bottle. If only I had had beer in it, then I could sing "There's A Tear In My Beer." I'm silly, lol. But yeah, it'll be one of the coldest days in hell when Seto helps anyone other than himself.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Illidan listens sometimes… Not often, but sometimes, lol. And yeah, Joey was there in the past. I kind of wrote him in, so to say that's why he was able to resist Marik and other Shadow Power people. And thanks for the congrats.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yes, they expect him to work with Joey, and more than likely, he won't, lol. But yeah, thanks for the idea. I think you'll like the idea I have for them in my final sequel though. I'd tell you, but it's still in the works, lol. Once I finish my 2 one-shots, I'll finally be able to get back on the last sequel. I have a feeling it'll take some time to write… Sigh Oh well, it's just something else for me to do, lol.**

**Well, that's all I have tonight everyone. I hope you all enjoy. Btw, if anyone likes Inuyasha stories, I'll soon have my one-shot called "Why is it" done and posted. I think it'll work out pretty good, so check it out if you're a fan or not of the show. Either way, you may like it. At any rate, till Sunday, enjoy.**

**Chapter 106**

Illidan and Yami quickly went to Joey's room, hoping to find him at least dressed, unlike how Yami had found Illidan. Illidan still laughed at Yami over the fact that he'd thought Yami was Marie, which in turn wasn't, and Yami did not find the slightest bit funny.

"Ah, come on. I thought it was Marie and I'd tease her. If I'd known it was you instead, I'd have behaved myself." Illidan joked.

Yami only let out a "Feh." in response.

Finally, they arrived. Yami rang the door bell and the door opened. There stood Joey with an ice pack on his head.

"It better be important Yug…" muttered Joey.

He looked completely worn out, like he'd been run over by a train or something.

"Joey, what happened to you?" asked Illidan, who didn't truly know.

He knew Joey had survived thanks to the news Yami had heard from Marie, but he had no idea it had been this physical.

"Meh, let's just say I had a little chat with Gozaburo and his crown tried to turn me into a zombie. Unluckily for him, I had enough strength due to my friends to save myself and escape." bragged Joey.

"In other words, you managed to overpower his mind with your stubbornness and ran away as fast as possible?" replied Illidan.

Joey growled at this comment, making Yami laugh. "NO! It was pure strength, not luck or stubbornness!" retorted an angry Joey.

Illidan only chuckled, for he didn't mean to insult his friend, but he knew it seemed to in a way.

"Of course it was Joey. You know, you may have natural Shadow Powers like many of us did in ancient times. If not for the fact I never saw you in those times, I'd almost guess you were a reincarnation of a person who had Shadow Powers." Illidan said.

Joey stroked his chin in a joking manner, saying "Yeah, I could have been a high priest or someone wickedly powerful."

Illidan and Yami both burst out loud laughing, knowing that was impossible. "Yeah… uh, well… just keep thinking that. More than likely, you were a lower level than that, seeing how only eight of us were the strongest at that time, and I really don't remember anyone that strong." Illidan said.

Joey felt like doing an anime fall over scene but just shook it off. Shaking his head though did hurt it. "Gee, I have one heck of a headache. Anyways, what brings you fellows to see me?"

Illidan and Yami then decided to get right to the point. They told Joey everything that Yami had been told by Marie. Joey was heartbroken to learn Mai was capture by Gozaburo.

"I'm gonna go knock his block off right now!" yelled Joey as he stormed off towards the door.

Illidan quickly jumped in front of him to prevent his escapade.

"Illidan, move, now!" spat an angry Joey.

Illidan didn't move though. "Joey, I know you want to save Mai, but going in there while hurt isn't the answer. You'll only get yourself hurt, as well as possibly captured. Trust me, we have to think this thing out." replied Illidan with his calm voice.

In all actuality, Illidan wanted to storm into Gozaburo's office and free his friends as well, but as Yami had told him, in his slightly weakened condition, he couldn't afford to try to fight Gozaburo. Even at his peak condition he wouldn't stand a chance against the Millennium Crown's power. But that didn't mean he wouldn't find a way to beat him though.

Joey was still seething with anger, but saw that Illidan's eyes told the same thing. Slowly, he calmed down.

"So, he has Marie as well I take it?" Joey asked, still half angry.

Illidan slowly nodded, still angry that she was.

Sighing, Joey replied with "I see. Well, I guess we do need a plan then in order to get everyone back."

Yami agreed and added "We need your help most of all Joey. I think Gozaburo is setting this up for the final 10-way duel. He'll more than likely send the 6 he's captured up against Illidan, then me, then Seto, and more than likely you last. He'll try to eliminate Illidan and me quickly due that he knows the 2 of us are the only remaining Millennium Item duelists."

The vein on Joey's head kind of popped out again when he heard Seto was probably to be eliminated before him.

"What is that supposed to mean Yugi? Does it mean you think I'm weak or something?" Joey yelled.

Yami put up his hands defensively, replying with "No, no, I don't mean that. I'm just saying Seto has a few powerful monsters, like Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor. If either of those 2 hit the field, the duel would shift in his favor."

Joey thought for a moment and realized Yugi had a point. He nodded with the conclusion. Sighing, Illidan just shook his head. "_Such a simpleton some days._"

"Well, what now Illidan?" asked an inquisitive Joey.

Illidan looked at him and thought for a second. "We need to get in touch with Seto. We have to make sure he's alright and get him to help us. If the four of us unite against the six Gozaburo has now…"

Suddenly, Joey interrupted saying "We don't need that rich punk! He's nothing but a jerk and wouldn't ever help us."

Yami looked at his friend for a second, knowing that it was true, but knew also Illidan was right. "Joey, we have to have Kaiba's help against those six. If we don't get his help, we'll be at a disadvantage when the final 10-way duel starts." replied Yami calmly.

Joey grumbled at that thought. Finally, he said "Yeah, you're right Yug. It's just the thought of rich boy helping us that irritates me. You know he won't help."

Yami sighed, but knew Joey was probably right. Still, they had to try and convince Kaiba to help them.

Illidan then interjected into Yami's thoughts, saying "We should go now while we have a chance. Never know when Gozaburo may try and take any of us down now. That's why we need to keep moving."

With that, Illidan motioned for the door. The three then headed off towards Seto's room. Finally, they got to his room and knocked. There was no answer at first. Illidan knocked again, hoping they weren't too late. Again, there was no answer.

This time Joey banged on the door with both hands, screaming "KAIBA, YOU PUNK, GET YOUR RICH BUTT OUT HERE!"

Finally, they heard some motion inside. The door opened quickly, and there stood an irritated Seto Kaiba.

"Wheeler, I'm not in the mood, so you'd better leave now before I pound you into oblivion!" growled an angry Seto.

Joey of course took this as a challenge and wouldn't back down due to his stubborn pride.

Seeing this, Illidan knocked him out of the way. "Kaiba, we need to talk, now." he said calmly.

Illidan paid little attention to Joey, who was being held back by Yami now. Seto smiled and let off a laugh that sounded like he was annoyed.

"What do you want to talk about Illidan? I'm not in the mood to really talk, so make it fast." demanded Seto.

Illidan chuckled lightly and replied with "When are you ever?"

Seto mumbled something to the effect of "Why do I bother?" Slowly, Seto allowed them into the room. He slowly walked over to his chair and sat down. He was noticeably weak, something unusual to see within Seto Kaiba. Illidan, Yami, and Joey set down finally.

"Now, what is it that was so important to interrupt my resting up for the final 10-way duel?" Seto said grumpily.

Illidan couldn't help but chuckle at the comment, but tried his best to hide it. Finally, he replied with "I've come to ask you if you know what Gozaburo has done."

Seto sat there for a long second and finally said "He tried to take over my mind with that weird crown he wears. Unfortunately for him, my inner strength was too much for him to take, so I escaped being taken over."

Illidan nodded, knowing more than likely it was due to the fact he was Set reincarnated and had tapped into his Shadow Powers that had long been dormant. He then replied with "Well, it gets worse. Gozaburo has taken over all the other duelists' minds. Only me, you, Joey, and Yugi here are free still."

Seto looked at him with unbelieving eyes as usual and was about to angrily say something when he seemed to stop himself. "I see… It would explain why I have yet to see anyone other than Mokuba today. No one was in the halls really. Anyways, what does this have to do with me?"

Slowly, Yami cleared his throat and said "It has everything to do with you now. Gozaburo has the odds stacked against the four of us left now. He has control of all six duelists, meaning he'll try to eliminate the ones not under his control. He wants all four of us out of this tournament at all costs now."

Seto laughed uncontrollably now. Finally, he replied with "You know you almost had me believing this mumbo jumbo for once Yugi, but I'm not buying it. It's true, my step father does want to get rid of me due to my superior dueling skills, but to get rid of the rest of you losers, and I can't see that. Especially since that third rate duelist Joey Wheeler here is left."

Joey's vein popped out to it's normal anger point and he yelled "What do you mean by that rich boy? After all, it was I who defeated you in a duel, and I who is ranked fourth in the final rankings, while you are ranked eighth. So, how could I be third rate when you've lost so many duels and fell so far behind?"

Seto was angry now and spat back "You fool, you used luck to defeat me and barely defeated me at that! As for my ranking, it doesn't matter where I finish, due that I'll defeat everyone in the final 10-way duel!"

Illidan and Yami only looked at one another and gave each other a sigh.

Finally, Illidan interjected saying "Listen, it doesn't matter who is ranked where. The important thing now is we should unite to defeat these six in the final 10-way duel. If we don't, they'll pick us off one by one."

Seto went into another laughing fit. "You're kidding me! I would never join the likes of you geeks. Try asking someone else." he said while still laughing.

Yami looked at Seto in anger, replying "We need your help Kaiba! Can't you see this is bigger than your ego!"

Seto only laughed again, saying "Yugi, it doesn't matter who I crush along the way. Once I defeat everyone in that final 10-way duel, it'll all be over and I'll move on to face my step father's flunkies, then him himself."

Illidan growled at Kaiba's stupidity and interrupted with "YOU FOOL! YOU'RE GOING TO BE DESTROYED IF YOU GO IT ALONE IN THIS DUEL!"

Finally, Illidan calmed down, and continued. "Seto, if you duel alone this time, you'll lose. Gozaburo holds control on all six minds. That means he'll have a strategy to defeat us all. He knows each of our weaknesses, and our strengths. He knows how to take each of us down more than likely by now, and with the ability to use six people against us, he could actually succeed in defeating each of us. He'll pick us off one by one and then there'll only be the six remaining. We can't do that if we're going to save the others."

Kaiba again chuckled, saying "I care nothing for those losers."

Illidan was furious now and grabbed Seto by the collar. "YOU MAY NOT, BUT I DO! I WON'T LEAVE THEM IN THE HANDS OF A MADMAN!" he screamed angrily at Seto.

Seto peered into Illidan's enraged eyes. They told the story to Seto. He could tell now that he was angry and sad at the same time, for the fact he'd lost his friends and the one person that made him truly happy.

Sighing, Seto replied with "Let go now before you regret it."

Illidan turned loose and moved back to his seat.

"Why should I help? What's in it for me?" said a calm Seto.

Yami and Joey both growled. Joey blurted out "It's always about you, isn't it! No matter how important something is…"

Illidan quickly interrupted with "I'll give you a rematch first thing when we get off this wacky island. How does that sound?"

Joey's jaw dropped at those words. He began to say something when Kaiba said "I accept that as decent compensation for this. You'd better not be egging me on though Illidan."

"I'm not. Here, I'll even sign some kind of contract if you like." retorted Illidan.

Seto nodded and replied with "I'll hold you at your word. We have enough witnesses to make that acceptable. Now, what's the plan?"

Illidan, Yami, Joey, and Seto began discussing strategy. In the end, they came up with a suitable plan.

"There is a combo that should be more than enough to take them all down." started Illidan.

"First, I need to draw a card known as Raigeki. Once I play it, it will wipe one duelist's field clear of monsters. That's where Yami comes in. Yami, you need to somehow use my magic card yourself. Wipe out yet another field with it. Joey, I understand you have Graverobber, so you could use it to use my Raigeki as well. Now, Seto, you need to build up your monster arsenal. Use your Deck Master's special ability to draw and special summon more light monsters. Once you get five, you should be prepared in case you draw Obelisk the Tormentor. I know, this plan may not be full proof, but it's worth a shot."

The others all nodded in agreement.

"Also, we must defend one another if possible. At all costs, we can't lose any of the four of us. As well, once we've gotten rid of the six, we'll duel one another fairly then. Agreed?" continued Illidan.

All three nodded in agreement with his statement.

"Well, if it's agreed then, that's all I have. Also, if we can free the others, do try. Try and reach out to them. Maybe we can help them break away like Yami did for Marie. If we can free them, don't concentrate your attacks on them anymore."

Everyone nodded again with Illidan's statement. Then they rose to go their separate ways. Each shook one another hands and said "Good luck." to one another. Finally, the left and went to their separate rooms.

Meanwhile in his office, Gozaburo was building a plan to wipe out his enemies. He had drilled it into the six mind slaves to wipe out each of the four remaining. They were to show no mercy at all in this duel. Each nodded due that they were forced to and the laughter of Gozaburo was heard echoing through out the tower.


	107. Chapter 107: Bad Odds

**Hello everyone. Sorry I didn't post last night, but I had a crazy day. Many little things went wrong, and I just had no time to really do it. Needless to say, I was just way too busy and tired to do it. At any rate, thanks for all the comments on the last chapter. Time for me to once more answer some reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, unlikely indeed. Who'd have ever thought Joey, Seto (those two names just don't belong together, lol), Yami, and Illidan would ever team up. I could see three working together, but not the four. A lot of those strategies you speak of sound good. Will they appear? Smiles We'll see, hehe. Btw, the way I done the field cards was only one at a time can be out, so they'd have to share, which sucks, lol. It will be good though, so no worries.**

**CWATZ: That's no problem. Lol, trust me, I wasn't too worried. I understand people have lives other than to read my story. If my story was all you had to do in life, I'd be afraid. Very afraid… Lol, but no worries. And good luck with your story.**

**Isis the Sphinx: I know the feeling. My brain was awake Saturday, but barely. It was awake enough to just drive up to see my fiancé.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yep, they're a team. The plan though, who knows if it'll work. Lol, I figured I'd have Joey think it at least. Actually, I doubt that those two met back then, due that Joey was older in those times. Set was only 8 years old when Joey was killed in the past, so I doubt they saw one another before that. That is a good point though, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yes, I made him in-character. I had to, lol. Can't have Kaiba just break down and give in without some kind of incentive, now can I, hehe. Lol, couldn't help but throw that comment in for Joey. Watches Ryou running away as pink-kiss-candy and Brianna pursue him. Ryou: "SOMEONE SAVE ME!"**

**x-knight20: Lol, indeed he is probably. It'd be like subzero thanks to Kaiba.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: It's coming, very soon. Yeah, he agreed, only after getting some kind of compensation. Lol, I meant full proof. Did I say fool? Grumbles at what Gozaburo could be doing… Wait, didn't make it that kind of story. Breathes sigh of relief.**

**Well, that's all the reviews. To make up for missing a day, I'm posting two chapters today, so enjoy. I'll probably try to get through the ten-way duel this week, and then who knows what else, hehe. Enjoy for now though.**

**Chapter 107**

When morning finally came, Illidan woke up in a sweat. He'd had nightmares again, but this time ones not of his own memories.

This time, they were nightmares of a possible future where Marie was destroyed thanks to him. He shook his mind of these feelings and prepared himself for the duel. Slowly, he got ready to face this duel. He showered and then put on some of his favorite clothes. A pair of jeans that were semi faded and his favorite black shirt. It was the one he'd worn many a times when he'd been out on dates with Marie.

He looked at himself in the mirror to make sure he was ready to face the world. Then he went and ate some breakfast. He had a yummy set of chocolate waffles and some chocolate milk.

Once finished, he prepared himself for the duel. He double checked his deck to make sure that it was in fine order. Then he went online to see if any new surprises had come up. None had been posted, so he started meditating. Like his teacher in ancient times had told him, you must always keep your mind calm in you duels. He slightly remembered his teacher being one of the greatest Shadow Duelists to ever exist. He might have even been more powerful than probably Marie with her power flare ups.

Slowly, he continued to meditate, trying to calm his mind and prepare for what he had to do. The last thing he wanted to do was face Marie and the others, but with Gozaburo pulling the strings, he had no choice. If he didn't face them, they'd remain his for all time, and that was one thing Illidan could not afford to do.

"_I have to free them from him. If I can, then at least they'll be better off than being controlled the rest of their lives._"

Finally, it was time. Slowly, Illidan strapped on his Duel Disk and then walked towards the elevator. Once there, he waited for a moment. Nobody was there, so he assumed he could just go on up. He boarded and rose to the top. There stood the six beside Gozaburo's throne. In his throne, Gozaburo glared at the remainder of the field. He had his Millennium Crown on his head and had a smug look on his face. All of the six had Millennium Symbols on their heads and their eyes were eerily blurry. Illidan stared in grief at the sight of Marie being held captive. "_If it's the last thing I do, I'll set you free Marie. I promise._"

Illidan then looked over to see Yugi was waiting for him beside the elevator. Soon enough, Joey and Seto arrived. The crowd was starting to slowly gather as well.

Illidan heard Duke in the crowd blurt out "Why are those six beside Gozaburo's throne?"

Everyone shrugged basically and finally settled down.

The judge then strode onto the field and raised his hand, saying "If I may have your attention please, Mr. Gozaburo will now read the rules to this final 10-way duel."

All ten gathered towards the center of the duel ring.

Then Gozaburo started by saying "Congratulations to all of you. You have each done exceedingly well. And I must say, I'm amazed that Illidan Stormrage has remained undefeated in each of his duels. That is a feat that no one else here has accomplished."

He then began an evil chuckle, knowing Illidan was focusing his attention on Marie instead.

"As you all know, this is the final duel to determine who shall face my associates, as well as me possibly. Also, this duel is for the Intercontinental and World Championships. That means the winner shall be a double champion. Now, I will list the main rules. First of all, like other duels, you may not attack till everyone has had one turn. Next, the starting positions are set up by your ranks. Illidan Stormrage shall be first, followed by Yugi Motto, Marie O'Dell, Joey Wheeler, Marik Ishtar, Noa Kaiba, Bakura Ryou, Seto Kaiba, Mai Valentine, and Bandit Keith. Also, you all shall start out with 4000 life points. You may attack anyone you wish, as well as defend anyone you want. Once you are eliminated, that is it for you. Finally, there are a few other stipulations to this duel."

Gozaburo then began to chuckle. He then continued with "The first new stipulation is that each duelist shall wager one card in this duel."

There was a bit of a shock among the crowd, as well as Illidan, Yugi, Seto, and Joey. The other six remained quiet.

"This card has been pre-selected, so you won't be able to cheat everyone. The winner of this duel shall receive all nine cards."

Illidan gasped slightly. "_So, he plans to give the winner some of the best cards from everyone._"

"Here are the cards that everyone shall wager. First, Illidan Stormrage shall wager his Dark Magician of Chaos. Yugi Motto shall wager his Slifer the Sky Dragon…"

Yugi was shocked to see his powerful God Card was up to be taken. Silently, Yami communicated to Yugi mentally, saying "_So, it's like Battle City again. Hopefully we won't lose our God Card though._"

Yugi silently said "_Yeah…_"

Gozaburo continued with "Marie O'Dell shall wager her Tyrant Dragon. Joey Wheeler will wager his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Marik Ishtar is wagering his Winged Dragon of Ra. Noa Kaiba will wager his Yamata Dragon. Bakura Ryou wagers his Dark Ruler Ha Des. Seto Kaiba shall wager his Obelisk the Tormentor. Mai Valentine wagers her Cyber Harpie Lady. Finally, Bandit Keith will wager Perfect Machine King."

Everyone was shocked at the card list. Each duelist had a powerful card to wager, and each would lose a great card if they lost.

Gozaburo laughed at the confusion on Joey's face. Illidan, Yugi, and Seto remained calm though. The remaining six seemed to be emotionless.

Again, Gozaburo continued on with his speech. "Now for the next stipulation for this duel that will turn your worlds upside down. This stipulation allows you to place this card on top of your deck and you shall draw it as one of your first five cards. That way you can't complain that you didn't have a chance to play your strongest card, muwhahaha!"

This was a small shock to many. "_This means we each have our strongest card. That could be trouble due that Marik could easily use his Winged Dragon of Ra against everyone. The same for Keith and his Perfect Machine King since he can use his Deck Master to summon it. I'm not too sure about the others though. This does give Seto an advantage at the least though. Seto can use his Deck Master to continuously summon light attribute monsters, hopefully 3 of them, and then summon Obelisk. We'll just have to see how this plays out._"

Gozaburo continued to laugh till he finally brought himself under control. Then an evil look appeared in his eyes, one that would give anybody the creeps. "By the way, there is one last stipulation to this duel." he began with an evil chuckle. Then he stood from his throne and raised his arms into the air. The Millennium Crown then began to glow with power, and he screamed "THIS SHALL BE A SHADOW GAME!"

Suddenly before anyone could react, a huge sphere of blackness formed around the top of the tower. One by one, the crowd disappeared into the darkness. The ten duelists remained on the field, but everyone else but Gozaburo and the judge, who was quite bewildered, was gone. Evil laughter filled the air as Gozaburo could hardly contain himself. His laughter was the only real sound that could be heard. Illidan, Yami, Joey, and Seto looked around, trying to find their friends that had disappeared into the darkness, but it was no use. They were just purely gone.

"MOKUBA!" screamed out Seto, but it was in vain. No one was there. Gozaburo continued to laugh at the four, knowing they had no clue what he'd just done.

"Bring them back right this minute Gozaburo!" demanded Illidan.

Gozaburo just continued his uncontrollable laughter. Then he pointed at the wall of the sphere for the Shadow Realm. There, one by one, reappeared all their friends. Shadi, Tea, Odion, Mokuba, and so on reappeared on the wall. Each was held by arm and leg bindings of darkness, much like how Yugi had been held during the duel with Marik's dark side.

Mokuba screamed out "SETO!"

Seto easily found where he was on the wall and called back "MOKUBA! Hang on, I'll be there as fast as I can!"

At the same time, Tea and the rest of the gang were calling out for Yugi and Joey. Joey started to run towards them when Gozaburo said "Fools, you can't get them down. Have you not yet noticed how high up they are?"

Illidan and Yugi growled, knowing that this was just an elaborate game set up by Gozaburo. Again, Gozaburo chuckled evilly while watching Seto look for a way to get up to his brother. Finally, Seto gave up and glared at Gozaburo.

"RELEASE MY BROTHER NOW YOU SLIME!" snarled Seto.

Gozaburo only laughed at Seto's anger. "Or you'll do what Seto?" replied Gozaburo.

Seto only continued to growl at Gozaburo. In his mind, he was desperately trying to figure out a way to free his brother. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. There stood Illidan, who simply shook his head.

"It's no use Seto. We'll get them back, so don't worry." said Illidan in a calm voice.

Seto seemed to settle slightly, but was still pretty angry. Illidan then stepped towards Gozaburo.

In a voice of steel, he said "Gozaburo, let them go now. They have done nothing to you, and you know that. If you're angry, take it out on me, not them. No one deserves the punishment you're putting them through."

Gozaburo gave an evil look at Illidan and burst out loud laughing again. Finally, he settled and pointed at Illidan. "It is a majority of your fault Illidan. If you'd never had betrayed Gozaburo of the past, none of this would have happened. You should have given in then, but it's far too late for that. Now you, along with all these other fools, shall suffer the consequences."

He smiled evilly at his comment and then continued. "Now, on with the rest of that stipulations. The rules to this Shadow Game are simple. Lose and you'll be hung on this wall like the others. Don't worry though, you won't be banished to the Shadow Realm yet. No, I have plans for the winner of this duel. Soon you shall all see. Yes, very soon, muwhahaha!"

"_So, if you lose, you won't be banished to the Shadow Realm. That's a plus at the least. Still, I don't understand what he's trying to do._"

Illidan's thoughts were then interrupted as Gozaburo ordered the judge to begin things. The judge nodded and instructed the ten to shuffle their decks, then move to their positions. Each slowly shuffled their decks. Illidan continued to eye Marie. "_If it's the last thing I ever do, I'll save her. I won't allow Gozaburo to continue to control her. I promised long ago to always protect her, no matter what, and I intend on keeping my promise._"

Finally, everyone finished shuffling. Slowly, one by one, everyone went to their positions. Illidan then called out to Yugi with his mind. Yugi and Yami immediately knew who it was calling out to them and allowed him to do it.

Through their minds, Illidan said "_Yami, and Yugi I should say, I'm creating a mental link with you 2 so we can communicate with one another through out this duel. Also, I'm going to erect a mental shield around Seto so Gozaburo can't read his mind. As well, I'll erect a mental link with him also. Do you 2 think you can do the same with Joey? That way we'll all be able to talk with one another._"

Sending back a mental message, Yami replied with "_Yes, we can do that. We'll build Joey a mental shield and connect with him mentally. Hopefully Gozaburo won't notice though._"

Illidan replied with "_He shouldn't be able to if we build our links strong. We should be just fine for now._"

With that, Yugi nodded at Illidan. He then called out "Yu-Gi-Oh!" The young man then slowly transformed into Yami. Then Illidan and Yami began erecting mental shield for themselves, as well as Joey and Seto.

Finally, Illidan made a mental link with Seto. He called out to Seto with "_Seto, can you hear me? It's Illidan._"

Illidan looked over at Seto who seemed to be looking around, trying to figure out how Illidan had done it. He called again to Seto through his mind, saying "_Seto, don't worry, I created a mental link between us so we can discuss strategy. And before you ask, no, I can't read your thoughts. This link only works when you call out to me or I call out to you. So, no worries about that._"

Seto then called back "_Fine, whatever. Just make sure you don't slow me down._"

Illidan smiled at that response and nodded. At the same time, Yami and Joey had completed their link. Yami then messaged Illidan, saying he'd finished. Slowly, Illidan bridged the gaps and connected all 4 minds together. Now each had a link to one another, so they could call out to whoever they wanted that was in their group.

Finally, they were ready and by this time, the judge gave an order. "Duelists, activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your 5 first cards. Once this is done, Illidan shall begin. Good luck."

Everyone then began activating their Duel Disks.

Illidan cried out "Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500), come out and help me win this fight!" The mighty soldier appeared beside Illidan, sword and shield ready for battle.

Yami then said "Dark Magician (2500/2100), come and bring me victory!" The purple robed mage then appeared beside of his master.

Marie, with a controlled look still, called out in a mixed up combo of her and Gozaburo's voices "Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000), help me defeat these fools." The powerful pink skinned angel then appeared beside of Marie.

"Flame Swordsman (1800/1600), it's time we go for the gold!" Joey's red and blue clothed warrior then appeared. His huge sword was resting on his back.

Marik then cried out in a mixed up voice, much like Marie's, "Puppet Master (0/0), help me to win the ultimate prize!" The doll like creature then appeared and screamed out.

Noa, in the odd voice as well, cried out "Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000), come out and help me banish these fools!" The mighty blue skinned angel then appeared beside Noa.

Bakura in the same odd voice screamed "Dark Necrofear (2200/2800), help me bring true darkness to these fools!" An odd blue skinned fiend then appeared beside of Bakura.

Seto, in his usual confident voice, cried out "Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650), show these fools your might!" The powerful undersea warrior then appeared, swinging his lance.

In her odd voice, Mai said "Amazoness Paladin (1700/300), help me devastate these fools!" The mighty female warrior appeared with her sword's tip stuck in the ground as usual.

"Now Machine King (2200/2000), come forth and wreak havoc and chaos on these fools!" cried out Keith in his odd voice. His powerful machine then appeared beside of him.

Each now had their Deck Masters out, and as well had 5 cards in their hands. Looking at the field, Illidan drew a deep breath. It was now or never. He had to be extremely careful, but at the same time, had to take the bull by the horns in some ways, but most importantly, he had to try and free all six people from Gozaburo, if not at least free Marie. He knew she was more than likely conscious of what was going on, but she needed help to be freed.

Finally, the judge gave the signal, and all ten said "LET'S DUEL!"


	108. Chapter 108: Ten Way Duel, Pt 1

**Chapter 108**

Illidan looked at his new card he'd drawn as well as the other five in his hand. He had Dark Magician of Chaos, thanks to Gozaburo's stipulation, as well as Blade Knight, Waboku, Scapegoat, Magic Cylinder, and his newly drawn Thunder Nyan Nyan.

Suddenly, before he could make a move, Seto interrupted everyone. "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability! Now I can draw one card from my deck. If it's a light monster, I may automatically special summon it to the field in whatever mode I choose. If it's any other type of monster or a magic or trap card, I must discard it to the graveyard. Now I draw!"

Seto then drew and looked at it and let loose a burst of laughter. "Too bad for you fools, I drew my mighty Hyozanryu (2100/2800), which I special summon in defense mode." A magnificent dragon covered in what looked like diamonds appeared on the field. It had 2 horns on its head, with also a horn on its nose. Its beautiful wings looked so shiny due to the diamonds that appeared on it.

"Now, continue with your move Illidan." Seto said. Illidan nodded. "_Good, he's sticking with the plan for now._" Looking at his hand, he finally decided what to do.

"I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode." A woman in a tiger print leotard appeared along with a set of drums. She held the drum sticks and began playing her drums. "Next I set 3 cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 4000, Joey 4000, Marik 4000, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 4000)

Yami smiled and drew his card. Before he could call out his move, Seto interrupted yet again.

"Hold on Yugi, I activate my Deck Master's second special ability again. Now I draw. Luckily for me, it's the one monster I need to win this duel. Welcome my Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) to the field, mwuahaha!" The huge white dragon then appeared. It roared down at all the people on it, casting its gaze on each person.

"Now, continue your foolish move Yugi." finished Seto.

"I will then. Now I summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in defense mode." A female warrior in pink then appeared. She had her shield and sword in a defensive stance. "Next I set 2 cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 4000, Joey 4000, Marik 4000, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 4000)

Marie only grinned evilly as she drew her card. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. She had just drawn the card Illidan had given to her during their second Christmas. It was Shining Friendship. She said in a near whisper "That's… the card… Illidan gave… me." Her head was killing her, for she was slowly trying to break free once again.

Illidan noticed how the card she'd drawn had made her tremble. Her hand was just shaking as she stared at the card. "_She must have drawn something that made her mind reawaken._"

"Marie, can you hear me?" he asked questionably. Her eyes seemed to clear up slightly as she looked over at him. Tears were slightly forming in her eyes as she recognized Illidan.

Suddenly, Gozaburo noticed the small lapse in her and poured more power into controlling her. She cried out in pain and went to one knee.

"MARIE!" cried out Illidan. Finally, she rose and her eyes showed what had happened. Gozaburo had resumed control and forced her to make her move.

"I summon …"

Seto interrupted though with "Hold on there Marie. Now I activate my Deck Master's special ability again, allowing me to draw once again. Now watch as I draw. Ha, and luckily for me, it's my powerful Blade Knight (1600/1000), which I'll summon in defense mode." A knight in silver armor then appeared on the field, while in a crouching defensive position.

"Now, continue your foolish move Marie."

Marie nodded and continued by saying "As I was saying, I'll summon The Agent of Creation – Venus (1600/0) in attack mode!" she said in the weird voice combo of her and Gozaburo. The golden like angel then appeared. In front of her were three large spheres.

"Now I activate Venus's special effect. This will cost me 1500 total life points in order to special summon 3 Mystical Shine Ball's (500/500) to the field from my deck in attack mode!" Three balls of light then appeared on the field. Each were had a brilliant light within themselves.

"Next I set 2 cards face down and play the field card known as Sanctuary of the Sky!" A large sanctuary appeared behind Marie and her Deck Master. Then each of Marie's fairy monsters slightly glowed in the light of the sanctuary.

"That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 4000, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 4000)

Illidan bit his lip slightly, knowing she had broken free for a moment. If only he could get her to continue to break free.

Using his mental link to Yami, he asked "_Did you see what I saw on her turn?_"

Yami mentally replied "_Yes, I did. Something in her hand helped break her free for a moment. It was enough of a distraction to cause Gozaburo to pour on the power to keep her from getting free._"

Illidan agreed. "_But what was it I wonder. Maybe it's a card I gave her, possibly._"

Yami then asked Illidan "_Did she ever give you a card?_"

Illidan thought for a moment. If she had, he couldn't remember at this moment. "_I'm not sure Yami. But I do know one thing. If I can summon my Dark Magician of Chaos, it should help jog her memory._" replied Illidan.

Yami came back with "_I hope you can, because it would make things much easier if she was free._"

Their talk was then interrupted as Joey made his move. "I summon my…"

Before Joey could finish, Seto again butted in. "Not so fast you third rate duelist. I activate my Deck Master's second special ability again, which allows me to draw one card once again. Now, let's see what I draw." He drew and then frowned at what he had.

"Figures I'd draw something other than a light monster on your pathetic turn Wheeler. I drew my Crush Card Virus, but due that it's a trap and not a light monster, I send it to the Graveyard. That's all for now though."

Joey laughed at Kaiba's poor luck and continued on. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I summon my Panther Warrior (2000/1600) in attack mode!" The powerful panther with a cape and armor then appeared. He swung his sword and shield around, showing he was ready for battle.

"Next I play the magic card Polymerization, allowing me to fuse my Baby Dragon and Alligator's Sword from my hand to form Alligator's Sword Dragon (1700/1500) in attack mode!" An alligator warrior then appeared on the field beside a small dragon. They the 2 swirled together into the gator warrior riding an older looking dragon. The gator swung his sword, showing his readiness for battle.

"Next I'll set one card face down and end my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 4000, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 4000)

The mind controlled Marik only laughed at Joey's move. "Is that all you can do you pathetic fool? Why waste all our time for that move? Well, I'll show you a true move. Watch as …"

"Hold on Marik, I activate my Deck Master's special ability again! Now I can draw one more card from my deck. Now let it be revealed!" said a grumpy Seto. He then drew and laughed as he said "I just drew my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" Another white metallic dragon appeared beside the other, and both roared at the field, trying to strike fear into the souls of the duelists.

"That is all for now, so continue Marik."

"As I was saying before some idiot interrupted me, I summon Revival Jam (1500/500) in defense mode." The blue blob of plasma energy then appeared on the field.

"Next, I'll play the magic card known as Masked Doll. This negates any life point damage I'd take thanks to my magic, trap, monster, or Deck Master effects. Now I shall place 2 cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 4000, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 4000)

Noa only laughed slightly as well. "Feeling a bit of pressure from my minions, Illidan Stormrage? Well, you should, seeing how we are all against you, muwhaha! Now, on with this duel. I …"

Before Noa could finish his sentence, Seto interrupted again. "Not so fast brat, I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. Now I draw a card. And wouldn't you know it, the monster I've just drawn is my Different Dimension Dragon (1200/1500), which I summon in defense mode!" A dragon then appeared from a small portal and took a defensive stance.

"That'll do it for now, but I'd beware of my field seeing how I have 5 monsters out now."

Noa then groaned and cleared his voice. "As I was saying before that interruption, I summon Big Shield Guardna (100/2600) in defense mode." A warrior with a huge shield sat down on the field.

"Next I set 2 cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 4000, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 4000)

An evil smile then came upon Bakura's face. Even though this was the innocent sweet Bakura everyone knew, he still looked rather evil thanks to being controlled. "Well chaps, it's my move then." he said in a rather vile, yet odd voice. He drew his card and smiled.

"Now I set 5 cards face down, and set one monster on the field. Attack me if you dare, fools. That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 4000, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 4000)

Seto smiled as it was his turn. "Here goes. Now, thanks to my Deck Master's first effect, I can sacrifice only one monster to summon a level 8 light attribute monster. Watch as I sacrifice my Blade Knight in order to summon my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" He then began to laugh manically as his third white metallic dragon appeared on the field, roaring at all that saw it.

"Next I'll set 3 cards face down. Fear my field, for next turn, you're all finished, muwhaha!" (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 4000, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 4000)

Mai only laughed at the foolish Seto Kaiba. "Seto, do you honestly think you can win? After all, the odds aren't in your favor, for the six of us will crush you in this duel."

Seto only laughed at Mai, who was truly speaking for Gozaburo. "Don't make me laugh old man. You think you've got us beat before you even start. Did it ever occur to you that some of us are stronger than your pathetic minions? I'd get it through your thick head that it won't be as easy as you think, for I'll take you down and free my brother. Now, just make your move." retorted a semi angry Seto.

Mai only laughed, but it was a laughter combo of her and Gozaburo. She then drew and laughed yet again. "Now I summon my Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300) in attack mode." The beautiful Harpie monster appeared on the field and screeched at the field.

"Next I equip her with the magic cards known as Cyber Shield and Rose Whip! These 2 cards add a total of 600 attack points to her total score (2400/1300)." A new set of armor appeared on the Harpie as she screeched. Then a whip appeared in her hand, raising her points yet again.

"Now to triple your trouble. I play the magic card known as Elegant Egotist! This forms the Cyber Harpie Lady Sisters (2400/1300)." The single Cyber Harpie Lady then split into three, forming three new monsters. All three screeched at the field after being formed.

"The next part is the most fun though. I play the Quick Attack magic card! This allows one of my Harpie's to attack instantly. Now Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Joey's…" She was calling out her attack when suddenly she grabbed her head.

Mai closed her eyes, softly saying "No, I won't attack him! Leave my mind now!"

"MAI! Fight him, I know you can do it!" cried out Joey.

Mai looked up, her eyes looking normal, but yet she had the Millennium Symbol on her head. She was still fighting hard though. Gozaburo noticed that Mai was struggling and added more power to his control over her. Slowly, she brought her hands off her head as her eyes glazed over again.

"Now, as I was saying, Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Joey's pathetic …"

For a moment, she seemed to struggle to say who to attack. She continued fighting Gozaburo. In her mind, she screamed for him to leave, yet he kept pushing. Finally realizing she couldn't beat him at this moment, she decided to change the target that he had intended her to attack. With all her strength, she cried out "Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Joey's Panther Warrior!"

Gozaburo was shocked, for he wanted to attack Joey's Alligator's Sword Dragon. Cyber Harpie Lady quickly crossed the field and neared its target. Joey smiled, knowing Mai had changed the target.

"Thanks Mai. Now I activate my trap card, Magic Arm Shield! This trap allows me to take one of your monsters and use it as a shield against your attack. And the monster I take shall be one of your Cyber Harpie Lady's!" A mirrored looking shield then appeared and a pair of arms reached out. It grabbed one of Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady's and then dragged it back in front of the panther. As the other Cyber Harpie Lady neared, she reared back and struck at the panther. Unfortunately, she hit her sister, thus destroying herself as well. Both Harpies then exploded and it was all over.

Mai growled softly, but inside she was truly happy Joey had saved himself. "Luckily for you Mai, you lose no life points, so no harm, and no foul." said Joey calmly.

For her foolish move though, Gozaburo reached into her mind, screaming "HOW COULD YOU CHANGE THE TARGET! Don't disobey me from now on mind slave, or I'll give you much more pain than you ever thought possible."

Mai silently said "Yes master."

She then looked up and said "It's still my move, so I set one card face down. That's enough for now." (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 4000, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 4000)


	109. Chapter 109: Ten Way Duel, Pt 2

**Hello once more everyone. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the ten way duel so far. If all goes well, I should have all of this duel posted this week. Now, time to get down to answering some reviews.**

**Strawberry Cake: He sure is. All he does is order people, lol. Marik was bad, but Gozaburo is most definitely more bossy.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Indeed they are outnumbered. Lol, yes, Ryou sounded dark and evil like Bakura. Ryou: "Yes, I'm cute, sweet, bad, and I'm going to for sure kill everyone now!" Ryou evilly grins. That's nice Ryou. Points to shovel in hand. Get out of control again buddy, and you know the results, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, it will be fun. It was rather difficult to keep up with ten people at once, but it got easier and easier as it went along due to people losing. Lol, yeah. I'll try to get to work on your chapter soon. This week looks like another crazy one though, due that the weather is pretty and we have a weeks worth of hay to finish up. Sigh We'll see though.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Lol, feel free to call him anything, other than buddy. He don't like that name, lol. But yeah, Gozaburo will probably send people out after the ones that care for them. After all, being an evil ego maniac gives you that right, lol. Seto's attitude isn't completely helping, but at least he's being somewhat useful. Someone may get free, or no one may not get free. We'll see sooner or later, hehe.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: It was no problem. I had planned on posting 2, so I went ahead and posted both for Sunday's mishap. Hmm, I could be wrong about it, but I was thinking they would only gain 600. The cards gave 300 and 300 I thought, but I could be wrong. Kaiba could have used Obelisk's ability, but for the most part, I didn't use that effect in this story. He only like used it once in the show, and the effect was slightly confusing. He said it would deal 4000 points of damage to everything in Obelisk's path, including Yami's life points and field. Well, Slifer was just as strong as Obelisk at that time and point, but Obelisk didn't hit him, so I was slightly confused on what happened. Thinks for a moment. He could have done it, and Illidan would have probably survived. More than likely, Yami as well. Joey, nah, he wouldn't have made it.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yep, Gozaburo is pulling out all the stops for this duel. If he's ever going to stop Yami, Illidan, Seto, or Joey, the time is now. Snickers due that he would want to stop Joey. And yes, for once, Seto is listening to people. It is very scary, lol. Very nice that you're close. Damn, I forgot to review your last chapter. I need to get back to reading some, if I can find the freaking time! I have a stack of things to do, but have yet to get to them. Soon I will though, soon.**

**Don't you hate when you have hardly no time to do stuff? I do, lol. I'm going to be so busy this week, which sucks. Well, at least most of it. Let's see, I have to work in the hay till probably Wednesday, then I have an interview for a job Thursday evening, then Friday I'm due to go get some of my fiancé's things from her house, and finally Saturday, I'll be back on the road up to see her once more. Not to mention work isn't going to be too fun this week. Sigh Oh well, it's alright. It's got to be, lol. Anyways, enjoy the chapter, and leave a review to express your opinion, good or bad. I enjoy them either way. Later!**

**Chapter 109**

Bandit Keith let out a stupid chuckle as usual. "Fool, you shouldn't struggle against the master. Now watch as I make my move. First thing I'll do is play Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw 2 new cards. This was exactly what I needed, muwhaha. Now I use my Deck Master's second special ability. I discard 2 machine monsters in order to special summon my Perfect Machine King (2700/1500) in attack mode!" Suddenly, the powerful machine then appeared on the field. It groaned as it stretched out.

"Next, my Deck Master gives him an additional 200 attack points (2900/1500)!" Machine King then powered up and fired a blast from his eyes at Perfect Machine King. Slowly, the stronger monster grew in strength yet again.

"I'm far from done though you fools. Now I summon this monster, my Heavy Mech Support Platform (500/500) in attack mode." A small like weapon platform then appeared. It looked semi like a plane, but was a platform more than anything.

"Now my Perfect Machine King gains 500 additional attack points thanks to me summoning another machine monster (3400/1500)." The powerful machine then glowed as its power went up.

"Next, my Deck Master raises Heavy Mech Support Platform's attack points by 200 (700/500)." The small platform was then blasted by Keith's Deck Master, instantly boosting its power.

"Now for the fun part. I activate Heavy Mech Support Platform's special ability. I can now treat it as an equip card for Perfect Machine King, which I will do. So, I equip it to Perfect Machine King, raising his attack points by 500. Of course, due that I moved my monster off the field, he really gains no points since he'd lose 500 due to the missing machine monster, but gains 500 due to the equipment of it." The mechanical platform then moved towards Perfect Machine King and then split apart. Slowly, the parts of the platform attached to Perfect Machine King, making him no stronger, nor no weaker.

Keith only laughed as he held 2 cards in his hand. "Now I activate this magic card, the card of someone's destruction. I play the magic card known as Limiter Removal! This card allows me to double the attack points of all my Machine monsters! Muwhaha, that means Perfect Machine King now has twice its original strength (6800/1500)!" The powerful machine monster glowed as its power doubled. Now this monster was the strongest on the field.

"_Is Keith insane? His magic card will destroy his monster at the end of the turn, thus wasting this entire turn, unless, he has something else to play._" Illidan's fears were confirmed within the minute as Keith chuckled evilly.

"It's over for one of you. Watch as I play the last card of someone's destruction. I play the Quick Attack magic card! This means my powerful machine can attack this turn! Now, who shall I attack?"

Keith only chuckled as he looked over everyone's fields. Gozaburo then sent him orders mentally to attack Joey.

"_Destroy that fool so we can easily obliterate Seto, Yami, and Illidan._" ordered Gozaburo mentally. Keith only grinned.

He then replied back mentally, saying "_Nope, I don't think so! I have a much better target! It will be Illidan!_"

Gozaburo was taken a back by this comment. He quickly shouted back at Keith mentally "_NO YOU FOOL! ATTACK WHEELER!_" Keith ignored him and the pain he was inflicting him. This is what Keith had been waiting for the entire tournament, ever since he'd lost his title. Now he'd exact his revenge on Illidan.

"Now Perfect Machine King, obliterate Illidan's pathetic Thunder Nyan Nyan and his life points with Missile Barrage!" The powerful machine locked on and fired his barrage of missiles. Row upon row of missiles fired from Perfect Machine King's arsenal at Thunder Nyan Nyan.

Illidan smiled, knowing that Keith had ignored Gozaburo more than likely. Mostly he knew he had due to the look in Keith's eyes. They were no longer glazed over, but were clear. Also, Gozaburo seemed extremely angry at this moment. As the missiles neared, Illidan shook his head.

"Nice try Keith, but I don't think so. I activate the trap known as Waboku! Now my monster will remain as she is and I'll receive no damage!" Three robed mages appeared in front of the blast and held up their hands.

Suddenly, Mai laughed. "I think not Illidan! I reveal my trap known as Trap Jammer! This instantly negates your trap card, meaning you're still in danger, muwhahaha!" The three mages then dissolved away, and the blast continued on towards Illidan.

Growling, Illidan realized Gozaburo was pulling out all the stops to make sure Keith's attack did make it through. "Fine then, I reveal my next face down trap, my Magic Cylinder. Now Keith's attack shall be fired right back at him!" Two large cylinders then appeared on the field. The blast would go into one and then come out the end of the other.

Suddenly, the cylinders dissolved. Looking over, Illidan saw why. There was Bakura with a face down revealed. "Sorry chap, but I won't allow that either. I reveal my Trap Jammer, instantly destroying your Magic Cylinder!" said a semi calm Bakura.

Illidan was flustered now. He had nothing else to defend him. The final face down he had was just Scapegoat, which wouldn't block the attack! As the missiles neared, Illidan was becoming more and more worried. "_It can't end like this. No, not like this…_"

Just as the blast was about to hit, Illidan saw a huge ring fly across the field and land snuggly on Perfect Machine King's neck. The ring had explosives attached to it. Illidan looked over to see it had come from Seto.

"Kaiba saved me?" he silently said. Seto laughed as he saw Perfect Machine King's attack fizzled out.

"Well, well, looks like I just stopped your assault Keith. Nobody destroys Illidan Stormrage but me, so never forget that! Now my Ring of Destruction trap shall blow away your pathetic Perfect Machine King and do 6800 damage to each of us. Of course, I have no intention of losing."

Suddenly, the collar that was on Perfect Machine King exploded, doing 6800 direct damage to Keith. Keith screamed in pain as he hit the floor. He then laughed, saying "You're a fool Kaiba. Now you shall lose for saving Illidan!"

He looked up at Seto to only see Seto smiling. Seto replied with "I think not. I activate my face down card, Ring of Defense! This magic card shall defend my life points from the blast! Sorry, but I'm going no where, unlike you."

Keith was speechless. He'd lost due that he'd disobeyed Gozaburo's orders. Now he'd pay the price for failure. He screamed in agony as suddenly he started disappearing.

Illidan stared in disbelief as Keith slowly faded away. Finally, nothing was left of Keith, except for his Perfect Machine King card.

"Where is he Gozaburo? You said he wouldn't be sent to the Shadow Realm if he lost!" cried out Illidan, who was extremely curious to know where Keith had gone.

Suddenly, Gozaburo laughed and pointed at the wall. It slightly glowed and Keith reappeared on it. He was bound to the wall like the others. He was quiet, for he still had the Millennium Symbol on his forehead.

"Happy now Illidan?" asked Gozaburo in a taunting voice.

Illidan growled but was happy Keith was still alright. Even if he was still being controlled, he was alive at the least.

"Now that that fool is gone, it is a 9-way duel, so please continue this duel now." Gozaburo said in a smug voice. In all honestly, he was angry beyond reason at Keith. The plan had been to slowly take out people one by one. They would pick off the weakest first, not the strongest. Not to matter though. There were still five mind slaves to do his bidding, and not to mention he doubted that the four had formed any kind of an alliance. He was shocked though that Seto had defended Illidan, but that didn't matter. Now he had to continue to focus on wearing them all down and watch for an opening.

Back on the field, Illidan sighed and drew his next card. It was his Change of Heart magic card. Smiling, Illidan realized he could now get his Dark Magician of Chaos out now.

Then suddenly, he received a mental message from Seto. "_Illidan, can you hear me? Listen, if this thing works, tell me now._"

Illidan smiled and responded with "_Yes, I can hear you. What is it Seto?_"

Seto then replied with "_Who are you going after now?_"

Illidan scanned the field quickly. From what he saw, Marie was a possible target. Marik had an impenetrable defense. Bakura had four face down cards, not to mention a face down monster. Noa had a powerful defensive monster, plus 2 face down cards. Mai was the weakest one left, but she had a Cyber Harpie Lady with 2400 attack points, so she was not touchable either.

"_I'm not sure._" replied Illidan.

Seto seemed to grumble in the link and responded with "_Go after Mai. If you can summon another monster and attack her, then I have your back. I have a face down card that will weaken her monster by half its strength. If you attack, I'll spring the card. Then you can attack her two more times thanks to your Deck Master._"

"_Wait!_" cried out another voice. This one was soon recognized as Joey.

"_Wheeler, don't bother us._" replied Seto.

Joey ignored him and said "_Listen, I think Mai is struggling to get free like Marie. Notice last time when she attacked, she seemed to be having a hard time choosing whom to attack. I think she's still fighting hard to break free. Maybe we should wait and let her continue to try to get free._"

Seto only gave responded with "_Feh, are you kidding me?_"

Illidan thought for a moment about things. Joey did have a point. Then he realized he could do a different strategy.

"_Seto, what if I used Change of Heart to get another light monster and sacrificed both for Dark Magician of Chaos. Then I could maybe wipe out Marik._"

Seto thought for a moment about Illidan's statement. Realizing that one of the Egyptian God Card holders would be out, he quickly replied with "_Yes, that would be better, but can you pull that off?_"

Illidan quickly responded with "_I should be able to. Once I grab one monster from Marie and sacrifice it along with mine for Dark Magician of Chaos, I can return Change of Heart. Then I can grab Marik's Revival Jam and attack him with both._"

Seto silently said "_Whatever you feel, but if we lose, trust me, you'll regret it._"

Illidan chuckled mentally and then returned to the duel.

"I now play Change of Heart, and I use it to take Marie's Venus!" Suddenly, Marie's monster shifted sides. Illidan grinned and then said "I sacrifice both to summon my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)!" Suddenly, both monsters disappeared and a pentagram of fire appeared on the field. Slowly rising out of the pentagram was a mage with blue skin and tight fitting black armor. He glowed with power. Finally, he reached the top of the pentagram and opened his eyes. His mystical eyes caused the flames to die down and he swung his staff into a fighting stance.

Marie suddenly found herself gazing at the monster. Memories flooded back to her, ones of when she had faced Illidan in her final test. He had told her during her training how much this monster had meant to him, how it had been the creature that he was bonded with, and how she'd find a monster one day much like he did. This was the same creature that he had used to try and hold off the Egyptian God's when they had stormed Cairo. The same creature that would defend him till the end of time. She then realized how much she loved Illidan. Many memories began to flood back, causing her to fight against the restraints that held her to Gozaburo's control.

Gozaburo growled in frustration as he noticed Marie fighting his control again. Normally, he didn't have to worry too much, but this girl's power was continuously struggling against him. He had lost the battle to her over control a few times before. He had learned not to underestimate her, but still, she was so strong willed that it took a lot of his concentration to hold her under his control. Never had he heard of someone fighting against such powerful control before this. The memories he had of Gozaburo of ancient times told him she had always been a strong willed one. She never would give up he knew, but still, he was far stronger than her. The problem was, he had six people under mind control, and with her taking all his concentration, it was difficult to keep total control of all six. She was the worst of them all to keep controlled, and knew she'd slowly drain him if he didn't get her restrained properly.

In Marie's mind, the battle was on. The small light that was enclosed in such a deep darkness began to glow. The light was her, and the darkness was the power of the Millennium Crown. Slowly, she began to pour out her power as she had before, forcing the darkness out of her mind. Still, the stubborn darkness remained. She continued to pour out more and more power.

While this struggle continued on, Gozaburo didn't notice Illidan was continuing his turn. Illidan had seen how Marie had gasped when he'd summoned Dark Magician of Chaos. This was after all the first monster he'd shown her in ancient times. When he'd been teaching her how to summon monsters, he showed her his favorite. This monster was not only his favorite, but was bound to him forever, much like how Dark Magician was to Yami and Blue-Eyes White Dragon was to Set. He realized she was struggling, and decided to force Gozaburo to tear his attention in 2 directions.

"Now thanks to my Dark Magician of Chaos, I can return one magic card to my hand, and I choose my Change of Heart. Next I activate Change of Heart, and I take control of Marik's Revival Jam!" With that, the blob of plasma switched sides. Marik was speechless and realized he was defenseless now.

"Time to wipe you out once and for all Marik. Forgive me for this, but I must! I switch Revival Jam into attack mode. Revival Jam, direct attack Marik with Plasma Tackle!" The small blue blob flew straight at Marik and smashed into him. Marik was knocked backwards, but wasn't hurt. He growled and realized the one controlling him was busy.

Suddenly, Gozaburo saw what had happened. There was nothing he could really do, unless he diverted someone else's monster to save him. He decided he would send in one of Marie's monsters if Illidan attacked again.

"Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Marik directly with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The powerful mage brought his staff up and fired a huge blast of dark energy at Marik. Gozaburo then tried to grab control of Marie's mind with all his power. He needed to keep Marik in this duel at all costs. He poured a great deal of his power onto Marie and took control once again. As before, the light was now buried deep within the darkness of her mind.

Quickly, Marie then yelled out in a controlled voice "I send in one of my Mystical Shine Ball's to defend Marik's life points!" One of the small balls of light jumped in front of the blast and exploded. Marik was safe, for now.


	110. Chapter 110: Ten Way Duel, Pt 3

**Hello once more everyone. Glad everyone liked the last chapter with Keith getting knocked out early. Lol, even with the power of Gozaburo, he failed to once more take Illidan out, and managed to knock himself out of the duel. Gotta give props to Seto though, for he saved Illidan. Hears the gasps. I know, I thought it would shock everyone too, lol. At any rate, time for reviews.**

**CWATZ: Lol, yeah, he got knocked out first. There are about four or five more parts to this duel, I believe.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: I think at the time that monster wasn't out. Yeah, the multiple Trap Jammers worked out quite well. It was like, is Illidan going to lose? Then bam, Seto stepped in, lol. It's all good about the computer thing. I know the feeling from time to time.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Hands Gozaburo's head to her. It pops off, lol. Nah, I don't watch Stargate Atlantis. Puts on the straight jacket. Now you're restrained. Hmm, restrained could be… Smacked in the back of the head once more by Cindy. Never mind, lol. Btw, ignore my perverted comments. There is nothing behind them, they're just comments or quick jokes off the top of my head. Lol, my second job, which isn't really a job, yes, is working on my grandfather's and father's farm. I do a good bit of brainstorming and writing in my mind while out working usually, so it's fun.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks, and hopefully the end result will please everyone. Lol, and yes, Keith lost every time for a reason. He's an ego maniac with an intelligence problem, lol. I'm not sure though about Obelisk's effect. Besides, that would pretty much end the duel, and I wanted to drag it out a bit. Again, as I said before too, I wasn't too sure on the effect. When Obelisk uses it's infinite power, sometimes it destroyed all monsters on the field too, and others it just attacked a monster with the infinite power. It's odd how that card is so confusing. Slifer is easy to figure out, and Ra isn't too bad, but Obelisk is just complex, lol. I believe there are about 4-5 more chapters to this duel, but I could be wrong. I have to look, lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Lol, yes, big surprise. Yep, he's tough, but a loser nonetheless. Lol, yes, stop the presses, for Seto has amazed the world!**

**Strawberry Cake: Lol, yes, slightly confusing. The duel was so complex, and was hard to keep track of. Trust me, it took me a good bit of time to write it all down and make sure who had what and when. Rolls eyes at the fact there is another crazy girl chasing after Ryou. Watch out for those two. They may kill to protect Ryou, lol.**

**Brianna Ishtar: … Watches Ryou standing over Brianna in corner with evil grin. This should be fun.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yeah, at the moment she is losing. She may find a way though. She's stronger than most people think, especially Gozaburo. … What is it with you silly girls and chap? Ryou: "I'm thinking of abandoning the English language, that way girls won't dig me when I say chap." Good plan Ryou, although they'll just love you for saying something else. Watches Marik running away. Marik: "Damn crazy fan girls! Leave me be!"**

**Well, that was fun, lol. Btw, just so everyone knows, if I make a comment where I say Cindy smacks me for, know that I'm not serious about that comment. Lol, I just don't want people to get the idea that I'm a pervert that needs help like Miroku. Sorry, I just don't have a wind tunnel in my hand, lol. Although, Cindy does call me Miroku at times. Sighs But seriously, there is nothing serious behind my comments. Hell, half my comments are not serious when I start making up that stuff. So, don't worry if I make a comment and then get smacked (if she was really here, I would get smacked, lol).**

**Anyways, there are more chapters yet to come, so everyone enjoy this chapter. I'll try to have it up again tomorrow as usual. Till then, enjoy.**

**Chapter 110**

Illidan growled in frustration. He had thought Marie would break free this time, but he was wrong. Now he had to deal with her again, which was the last thing he wanted.

Looking at Marie, he said "Come on Marie, break free! I know you can! You have to keep trying!"

She heard his words, but was so weak. Suddenly, she realized what could happen if she didn't. She could be pitted against him in this duel if it continued on like it was. If that happened, she doubted that Illidan could do what he knew he had to do. He would never try to take her out unless he absolutely had to, and even then, she doubted he could.

"I won't give up on you Marie! Now thanks to my Deck Master, Dark Magician of Chaos can attack again. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Marik directly with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The mage powered up again and fired another blast of dark energy at Marik.

Again, the inner struggle started with Marie. Gozaburo ordered her to defend Marik, but she refused.

"_NO! I refuse to help anymore! Get out of my mind once and for all!_" she screamed mentally. With that, she began to fight the darkness again. The light within her began to grow, pushing the darkness back. Still, the darkness tried to envelope her. With all her might, she screamed "_NO! I love him too much to let you control me!_"

Then it happened again. Like before, something snapped and her power grew stronger.

In his throne, Gozaburo screamed out "NO! NOT AGAIN!" A powerful wave of energy then formed within Marie's mind, pushing Gozaburo out of it. The energy was so incredible that Illidan and Yami looked up as they felt Marie using it.

Suddenly, the blast washed back against Gozaburo, causing his control on everyone to slip. This was enough for Marik and Bakura to awaken again. Once they realized what was going on, they began to pour out their own powers, throwing yet another huge feedback wave into Gozaburo. The effect caused the other three under his control to awaken as well. All three then threw off their shackles of control again, sending even more feedback energy at Gozaburo. In essence, Marie had caused a huge cascading effect by breaking free. Now everyone that Gozaburo controlled was free.

Marik realized that a huge blast of energy was heading for him and took up a defensive stance. The blast forced him back, but didn't knock him down. His life points dropped to 0. He smiled as his counter hit 0.

"Thank you Marie. You set us all free! I'll never forget this!" Then suddenly, his body began to disappear. The only thing left was his Winged Dragon of Ra card.

Marie looked up to where Marik once stood, crying out "NO! Marik, where did you go!" Her answer came quickly though.

Up on the wall, Marik reappeared. He smiled at Marie, saying "Don't worry, I'm fine. Now, go out there and try and save the world." She smiled and nodded.

She then looked over at Illidan, who was nearly in tears. These were tears of happiness though, for he was so glad she had broken free.

"Well done Marie, well done." he simply said. She nodded and quickly realized the duel was still going on. Now it was back down to an 8-way duel. That meant they still had time to finish before Gozaburo could try to interfere again.

Illidan then quickly said "I end my turn. Your move Yami." (Illidan 4000, Yami 4000, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 0, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 0)

Yami didn't waste any time. He quickly drew and smiled. "Now I activate my trap card known as Ultimate Offering. This trap allows me to give up 500 life points per an extra summoning or set. Now I give up 500 life points to summon King's Knight (1600/1400) in attack mode." A knight robed in red with a shield and sword appeared.

"This allows me to special summon Jack's Knight (1900/1000) to the field in attack mode." A third knight then appeared. This one was younger, but still had great power.

"Now I sacrifice all three in order to summon my Egyptian God, Slifer the Sky Dragon (2000/2000)!" All three knights then disappeared. Suddenly, the huge red dragon then appeared. It rapped its large body around the tower as it appeared in the duel. It roared down at the entire field, for no one was safe now.

"Of course, my dragon is semi weak, but that shall change now. I reveal my face down trap known as Jar of Greed, allowing me to draw 1 new card. Next I shall play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards, meaning Slifer has a total of 4000 points (4000/4000). Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack Noa's Big Shield Guardna with Thunder Force!" The powerful dragon opened its huge mouth and fired a blast at the powerful defense monster.

As the blast neared, Noa smirked. "I think not Yugi, for I reveal my trap, Spellbinding Circle! This shall stop your dragon's attack and force it to not be able to attack or switch modes!" A huge golden circle then encircled Slifer. The blast was then forced away, saving Noa's monster for the turn.

"Very well Noa. I end my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3500, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 0, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 0)

Once Yami had ended, the circle surrounding Slifer disappeared.

"What happened to my circle?" asked Noa in a slightly panicked voice.

Yami laughed and replied with "Trap and magic cards only effect God Cards for one turn. That means your trap lost its power over my card."

Noa nodded, still surprised at the fact Slifer had broken free.

Now Marie quickly drew her card. She then said "I sacrifice my 2 remaining Mystical Shine Ball's in order to summon Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) in attack mode!" Both balls disappeared and a powerful dragon appeared in their place. It was orange and had huge wings.

Yami chuckled, saying "You've triggered Slifer's special ability. Now Slifer, wipe out 2000 of Tyrant Dragon's attack points!" Slifer opened its second mouth and fired a blast.

The blast neared and Marie smiled. "I don't think so. I reveal my magic card known as Card Guard, which will defend my new monster from your attack. I just have to discard one card from my hand, so I discard my Winged Kuriboh to activate it." A huge shield then appeared on the field and absorbed the blast from Slifer.

"Now Tyrant Dragon, attack Noa's Big Shield Guardna with Tyrant Flame!" The powerful dragon roared and blasted the powerful warrior. The shield on the warrior easily broke from the intense flames of the dragon.

"That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3500, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 0, Noa 4000, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 0)

Joey then drew his card and smiled. "I summon Goblin Attack Force (2300/0) in attack mode!" A group of goblins in golden helmets appeared. Each carried a bone club in one hand.

"Joey, you just triggered Slifer's special effect! Now Slifer, drain his monster of 2000 attack points!" bellowed Yami. Slifer spat a ball of energy from its second mouth at the goblins. They were easily drained of 2000 points.

"That's alright Yug. I knew they'd have that happen, and it's all part of my plan. Now it's time for an attack, and I know the perfect target. Alligator's Sword Dragon, attack Noa's life points directly with Dragon Sword Slash!" The team of a gator and dragon took to the sky and struck Noa directly, causing him to slide back slightly.

"I'm not done yet. Goblin Attack Force, direct attack his life points now with Goblin Bash!" The wounded goblins quickly ran over and beat Noa on the head with their clubs. This sight was rather humorous, for it actually tickled Noa. Once done, they retreated back to Joey's side of the field and took a seat.

"Of course, after they attack, their effect kicks in. It forces my monster to defense mode. But I'm not done yet. Now I sacrifice my Goblin Attack Force to Panther Warrior, enabling him to attack. Panther Warrior, attack Noa directly with Panther Slash!" The mighty panther then leaped across the field and slashed Noa, instantly dropping him to 0 life points. Noa bowed his head, knowing he'd lost.

"Oh well, good game guys. And thanks for freeing me Marie!" He then waved good bye as he slowly disappeared. Once he was finally gone, the only thing left was his Yamata Dragon card. Slowly after a moment, he reappeared on the wall. He was fine, but sad he'd lost.

Joey then said "I end my turn." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3500, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 0)

This left only seven people to duel it out to find out who was the best.

Bakura then smiled and drew his card. "I'll summon my Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode and end my move." A creature that looked like a ball of orange fur then appeared out to defend Bakura. (Illidan 4000, Yami 3500, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 0)

Everyone nodded and prepared for the worst since it was Seto's turn. With laughter in his voice, Seto said "Stand back you geeks. Watch as I sacrifice my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in order to summon a monster with ultimate strength! I summon Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" Suddenly, all three dragons disappeared and a huge blue creature appeared in their place. This was the Egyptian God Seto controlled, and it had the ability to use infinite power.

Suddenly, Yami interrupted Seto's laughter, saying "Sorry Seto, but I hate to disappoint you, but your Egyptian God is only half as strong as he really is."

Seto glared at Yami angrily, saying "Explain!"

Yami only simply pointed at Slifer, who was opening his second mouth. Seto was speechless as he saw the blast come flying out of Slifer's second mouth. The blast hit Obelisk, causing the so called all powerful God Card to lose half it's strength (2000/4000).

Growling, Seto then angrily said "It's not over yet Yugi! Watch as I sacrifice both my monsters to Obelisk, increasing his power to infinite!" Obelisk grabbed both monsters and absorbed them. His power started increasing. As his attack points rose, his skin changed from blue to red. Finally, his attack points hit infinite, showing the true power of this Egyptian God.

"Now Obelisk the Tormentor, wipe out Slifer the Sky Dragon with Fist of Fate! It's all over Yugi!" screamed Seto, who began a chorus of laughter. Obelisk then sent a huge blast of energy from each fist at Slifer. Slifer was about to be hit head on when suddenly a cloud of Kuriboh's popped up.

Seto stopped laughing, realizing his monster's attack was now pointless. "NOOOOO!" he screamed.

Once the smoke cleared, Slifer was gone, but Yami's life points weren't. Yami smiled at Seto who was so furious he could hardly see straight.

He finally stopped growling and said "I end my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3500, Marie 2500, Joey 4000, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 0)

Mai drew and sighed. "I summon Harpie Lady 1 (1300/1400) in attack mode." A new Harpie then appeared on the field. This one looked nearly like Cyber Harpie Lady, but wasn't quite.

"Now thanks to her effect, all Wind attribute monsters gain 300 additional attack points. That means both my Harpies get 300 attack points, as well as Joey's dragon (2700/1300) (1600/1400) (2000/1500)." Each monster glowed slightly with its new power increase.

"Now Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Joey's Panther Warrior with Cyber Slash!" Cyber Harpie Lady took to the air and kicked the warrior, easily tearing him apart. Mai then looked at the field.

After a moment of thinking, she finally said "Now Harpie Lady 1, attack Bakura's Sangan with Harpie Slash!" Harpie Lady 1 then took to the air and prepared to slash the small creature.

Bakura only smiled as the ball of fur was destroyed. "Thanks to your attack Mai, I can now add one monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to my hand. I choose my Headless Knight."

Mai nodded and then said "I end my turn." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3500, Marie 2500, Joey 3300, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 4000, Keith 0)

Illidan quickly drew, knowing they couldn't keep this up for too much longer. Sooner or later, Gozaburo would free himself of the huge feedback he'd receive, and then they'd be a lot to pay for.

He drew his Luster Dragon and knew what he had to do. "I summon Luster Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode." The mighty sapphire dragon then appeared and roared at the field, trying to make itself seem stronger than it appeared.

"Now thanks to Mai's Harpie Lady 1, my dragon gains 300 attack points (2200/1600)." The dragon now roared as it grew stronger.

"Luster Dragon, attack Harpie Lady 1 with Ruby Blaster!" The mighty dragon then took to the air and spat a ball of ruby energy at the weaker Harpie. She was easily taken down by the blast.

"Of course, this weakens our three monsters (1900/1600) (2400/1300) (1700/1500) but it's a small price to pay. Now Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady with Chaos Slice!" The mage then brought his staff up and made a downward like cut. An energy blade fired from the cut and it quickly crossed the field, instantly slicing Cyber Harpie Lady in half.

"Time to invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Mai directly with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The powerful mage then twirled his staff and fired a huge blast of dark energy at Mai. The blast hit her, easily lowering her score to 0.

When the smoke cleared, she appeared fine. She smiled, saying "Remember, it's not over. Go kick that jerk's evil butt." Then she started to disappear. As before, the only thing left was her Cyber Harpie Lady card. Soon enough, she appeared on the wall with the others though.

Illidan sighed and said "I end my turn." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3500, Marie 2500, Joey 3300, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 0, Keith 0)


	111. Chapter 111: Ten Way Duel, Pt 4

**Yawns Hello everyone… I'm tired… Physically, in case you all are wondering. Yesterday evening, I got off work to get home to find out no one was coming to buy some of our hay from the field, so we had to put 300 bails of hay in the barn… Now, mind you, it wouldn't be too bad, but it was eight or 8:30 when we finished loading and pulling the hay up to the barn. We finally got one trailer unloaded by 9:30, and proceeded up to the other barn due that the previous barn was full. So, we get there, and my dad, plus step brother, are really slowing down the process. Dad was weak due to being out in the sun too long I think, plus he hadn't eaten all day. Step brother… he was just purposely taking it easy I believe. So, that left me running at semi full strength, having to deal with them. About 10 or so, I just told my dad, let's just throw a tarp over the trailer (it's open btw, so no kind of cover on it) and let it go for the night due that we all needed to get home. Nope, that isn't good enough. So finally, about 10:40, we finished unloading the crap… I was exhausted, but that wasn't the end. Oh no, we had to go get our tractors from the fields still and put them up. That wasn't too hard, but damn, I was tired. At any rate, time it was all said and done, it was already after 11 when we got home. Then I had to wait for my shower, plus I had to call Cindy (I called her first and talked for a few minutes. She had work too, but has to get up earlier than me). It was after midnight sometime when I got to bed. Ah, last thing is, due that we had such a long evening, I didn't get my hair trimmed up for my interview tonight, so things are just wonderful… Actually, I could careless about my hair, lol. It's just the principle of the hay taking more precedence than other things in life. Sigh**

**Ok, enough rambling about my train wrecked life. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter, although I'm rather unsure what happened in some of the reviews. I see people reviewing 93 and 83, and then yesterday was 8. Shrugs Oh well, at least I know most reviews pertain to 110, I hope, lol. Anyways, time to answer some reviews.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yep, she broke free at last. Very true about Gozaburo. Who knows who is next with him angry, but doubtful he'll mess with any of the four that fought against him, but again, you never know.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, they fell out fast. As for the # of chapters left, I was including the last one, so 3 left, including this one. Thanks for the congrats.**

**CWATZ: Lol, yeah, he broke the deal at long last. He mostly done it due that their agreement was over pretty much though. The deal was to free everyone, then go at it, so he's done just that. But yeah, he might get his butt handed to him soon.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, she's free once more. Indeed, it truly begins now. Alright, I will, soon as I get a chance… As you saw above, that's about how much time I have left in the evening when I get home. I just have an hour at home in the morning, which is kind of dedicated to answering reviews. Grumbles due to the stack of stories I've yet to read. I WANT TO READ! Lol, just need the time to read. Btw, good idea with Ryou. Pulls out a second axe. Let's hurry it up before they all faint, hehe.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Very true, the duel can change rapidly. That's if and when Gozaburo gets up. He just got slammed by five or six people's mental feedback, so he's probably a bit out of it for the moment. Yeah, it's much more exciting to watch them under their own power duel.**

**Fire Princess: Welcome and thanks. I didn't know it was that popular, lol. And don't worry about it. I can tell what G'day and mate is, so don't worry about it. Lol, I'm a York! Actually, I'd be from the middle of nowhere, which is West Virginia, aka, the official middle of nowhere of the U.S. I hope you continue reading and enjoy my story.**

**Strawberry Cake: No problem. I tend to not review from time to time on some people's stories, although I do need to remember people love comments, lol. I don't blame you though. Go live life, for I wouldn't want or expect anyone to live for my story. Lol, but roleplaying and so on isn't so dorky.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Yes, he's very evil. Lol, yes, enjoy life. Go find the real life Ryou so you can hold and cuddle him. Fears for any man that looks like Ryou now.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Indeed, just six now. Raises eyebrow. Watches Ryou slip the therapist a fifty and whispers "Declare her insane and put her in that straight jacket." Therapist: "YOU'RE INSANE! Put her in the jacket!" Watches the fight and Ryou laughing evilly as pink-kiss-candy is put in her jacket and drug away. Well, that was entertaining, lol.**

**That's all for this morning. Maybe tonight won't be as bad due that we have no more hay, plus I have an interview, so joy. Hopes for job. If it's better than the one I have, it has benefits (insurance, better pay, and a possible retirement one day) and they offer me a position, hell yes I'll take it! But anyways, I need to go this morning, so enjoy the chapter. The other two will be out tomorrow and Saturday, unless I post again Friday night due that I won't have time Saturday morning before I go see Cindy. Gets starry eyed at the thought of seeing Cindy. Later all.**

**Chapter 111**

Yami drew his card and smiled. "I activate my Ultimate Offering card. Now I pay 500 life points in order to summon Gazelle the King of Mystical Beasts (1500/1200)." A lion like creature then appeared on the field. It roared and looked onward.

"Next I sacrifice Gazelle in order to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) in attack mode." The lion like creature then disappeared and a girl dressed as a magician's assistant appeared. She twirled her wand around and then stood posing and gave a small wink.

"Now thanks to my Deck Master, Dark Magician Girl gains 500 additional attack points (2500/1700)." The powerful Dark Magician then pointed his staff at the young girl. She was instantly blasted by a beam of powerful magic, which enhanced her own powers. Now she seemed quite a bit more capable of performing any task.

"Now I set one card face down. Joey, I'm sorry, but in order to win this tournament, I have to beat you." Joey nodded, knowing his friend didn't want to really attack him, but he had to in order to win this duel.

"Dark Magician Girl, attack Joey's Alligator's Sword Dragon with Burning Magic Attack!" The powerful magician then fired a huge blast of energy at the gator-dragon combo. The blast easily blew the monster up.

"That ends my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3000, Marie 2500, Joey 2700, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Marie drew and said "I summon Shining Friendship (1300/1100) in defense mode." A green little ball like creature with wings then appeared. Illidan smiled, realizing this is what helped free Marie's mind.

"Now Tyrant Dragon, attack Joey directly with Tyrant Flame!" The mighty dragon then let loose it's powerful flame, instantly knocking Joey to 0.

He smiled at Marie, and silently said "Thanks." Then he began to disappear. Only his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card remained where he was standing. Soon enough though, he reappeared on the wall. He smiled down at the remaining duelists and said "Good luck guys."

Marie then said "I end my turn." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3000, Marie 2500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Now a 10-way duel had turned into a 5-way duel. Illidan, Bakura, and Seto still had all their life points, but life points aren't all that matters.

Bakura then drew his card and smiled. "I sacrifice my face down Winged Minion for a monster in defense mode. Next, I'll reveal my trap card known as Destiny Board." A huge widgi board then appeared on the field.

"As you all know, I can now add one piece of my Destiny Board to my field at the end of all your guy's turns. And the first letter is F." The widgi board then moved to the letter F, and a flaming F then appeared on the field.

"Now I'll end my…"

Before he could say turn, Seto interrupted, saying "Hold on Bakura. I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. Now I can draw one card from my deck. And I've drawn Kaibaman (200/700), which I'll special summon in defense mode." A monster then appeared on the field. It looked nearly human. He wore a red, white, and black type of armor. He had long red hair, which helped accent the armor even more.

"Now continue Bakura, if you don't mind so I can finish you off."

Bakura smiled and said "I end my turn." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3000, Marie 2500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Seto then drew and looked at his card. He then laughed and said "I now summon Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode." An ox like creature then appeared on the field. It carried a huge axe like sword and had a red helmet with red armor as well.

"Now, watch as I sacrifice both monsters to Obelisk the Tormentor! Now Obelisk, activate your infinite strength in order to crush Bakura!" Obelisk grabbed both monsters as he had before and began to power up. Slowly, his strength started going up, thus he began changing colors. He roared as his strength finally became infinite.

"Now my Egyptian God, destroy all of Bakura's monsters!" Obelisk stretched out his hand which instantly crushed Bakura's face down monster.

Bakura showed no fear though.

"Finish him off with Fist of Fate!" commanded Seto. Obelisk then pushed both fists forward and fired his powerful blasts. The blasts headed straight for Bakura, but yet Bakura didn't seem worried. As the blast neared, Bakura laughed and discarded something. That something soon became apparent as a wall of Kuriboh's appeared.

"NOOOO!" howled Seto in anger. The wall of Kuriboh's instantly stopped the blast, thus ending the barrage of Obelisk. The smoke cleared and Bakura was left smiling.

Seto grumbled, and finally said "I end my …"

Before he could finish, Bakura interrupted. "Sorry Seto, but since you're ending your move, I get to add a piece of my Destiny Board to the field. And I add the magic card known as Spirit Message I from my deck to the field." The widgi board then selected the letter I, and a flaming I then appeared beside F.

"That shall do it for now."

Seto continued to grumble and said "I end my move." (Illidan 4000, Yami 3000, Marie 2500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Illidan drew his card and smiled. It was his Harpie's Feather Duster. "I activate Harpie's Feather Duster, which will wipe out your magic and trap cards Bakura!" A huge wind then blew towards Bakura's field, but Bakura only chuckled.

"So you think Illidan. I reveal my trap, Magic Jammer. Now I discard one card, my Headless Knight, and negate the magic card you used." Illidan growled as his magic card was rendered useless.

"Luster Dragon, attack his life points directly with Ruby Blaster!" The mighty dragon powered up and opened it's mouth. It spat a blast of ruby energy.

Once near, Bakura smiled and said "Not so fast. I reveal my trap card known as Call of the Haunted. Now I can resurrect one monster I sent to my Graveyard to the field in attack mode. And I choose my Labyrinth Wall (0/3000)!" A huge walled monster then appeared. It was like a huge maze monster.

"So what? It has 0 attack points. Now Luster Dragon, attack Labyrinth Wall with Ruby Blaster!" The mighty dragon then fired another blast of ruby energy. As the blast neared, Bakura smiled again.

"I don't think so. I reveal my trap card known as Desert Sunlight!" Suddenly, Bakura's side of the field became blinding. When the light died, the Labyrinth Wall was now in defense mode.

"Huh?" asked Illidan, who was stupefied by what had happened.

"I'll explain. My Desert Sunlight forces all my monsters into defense mode. That means your attack is too weak for my defense." The blast of ruby energy basically gave out as it hit the powerful wall. Illidan then lost life points equal to the difference.

Growling, Illidan realized he had no choices left. "I end my…"

"Sorry to interrupt Illidan, but since you're ending your move, I get to add one more piece of Destiny Board. And this time, it's Spirit Message N." The widgi board then moved around till it found the letter N. Then a flaming N appeared beside F and I.

"That's all for me."

Illidan nodded to Bakura and said "I end my move then." (Illidan 2900, Yami 3000, Marie 2500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 4000, Seto 4000, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Yami then drew and realized they all only had 2 turns left till Bakura would win by default. He slowly drew his card and then smiled at what he had.

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Destiny Board trap!"

As the typhoon neared, Bakura shook his head and said "Not so fast Yugi. I reveal my trap known as Magic Drain. Now you must discard one magic card or I get to negate your magic card that's about to hit."

Yami looked at his hand and realized he had no magic cards. As bad as he hated to, he said "I have none to discard."

Bakura smiled and replied with "Then Mystical Space Typhoon is negated and I lose no life points." The typhoon then was easily destroyed. Yami growled slightly, but suddenly realized something.

"You can't activate the whole Destiny Board anyways Bakura. You still have one other card in play, meaning Destiny Board won't fully work for you."

Bakura knew Yami had caught on finally and sighed, saying "Yep, you figured me out." Yami smiled and then realized he had a job to do in order to finish Bakura. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode." The maroon robed mage then appeared, swinging his sword and showing his shield.

"Now Breaker gains 300 attack points due that he gains one spell counter for being summoned (1900/1000). Next, I remove that spell counter in order to destroy your Call of the Haunted card, thus leaving you wide open for a direct attack!" Breaker then swung his sword and a blade of energy came out of it. It easily sliced Call of the Haunted in half, instantly destroying Labyrinth Wall.

"Now it's time to finish you off Bakura. Dark Magician Girl, direct attack his life points with Burning Magic Attack!" She then fired a ball of energy at Bakura directly.

Suddenly, Bakura had a glint of happiness in his eyes. "Thanks Yami, for you've just done what I needed you to do. Now I activate my Deck Master's special ability. I give up 500 life points in order to revive my Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode!" The little ball of fur then reappeared on the field, blocking Bakura's life points from Yami's monster.

"Fine, I redirect the attack at Sangan!" The blast easily crushed Sangan.

"Now I can add one monster to my hand with 1500 or less attack points from my deck, and I choose my Goblin King." responded Bakura to the attack.

Yami nodded and then said "Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack Bakura directly with Magical Sword Slash!" Breaker quickly approached Bakura, sword drawn, and was about to slash him when Bakura laughed again.

He then said " I activate my Deck Master's special ability again. Now I resurrect Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode." The ball of fur then reappeared, blocking Yami's assault.

"Fine, Breaker, rid the field of his Sangan!" Breaker slashed the ball of fur in half, easily clearing the way again.

"Now I add Kuriboh to my hand for Sangan's effect." announced Bakura.

Suddenly, it hit Yami what he'd done. He had helped Bakura in all actuality by destroying Call of the Haunted, and Bakura had known that.

Growling, Yami then said "I end…"

"Not quite yet Yami. I now draw one piece more of Destiny Board. And this time, it's Spirit Message A." The widgi board then found the letter A and a flaming A then appeared beside F, I, and N.

"That'll do it for me Yami." said a happy Bakura.

Yami nodded and said "I end my move." (Illidan 2900, Yami 3000, Marie 2500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 3000, Seto 4000, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Marie drew her card and knew it was up to her to stop Bakura. If she didn't, the duel would end. She didn't have any cards to destroy Destiny Board, but she did have a plan.

"I first move my Deck Master to the field. Now my Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000) is in play." Slowly, the pink skinned angel moved out to take a position beside Tyrant Dragon and Shining Angel.

"Next I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards." She quickly drew and smiled.

"Now I sacrifice my Shining Friendship in order to summon Airknight Parshath (1900/1400)!" An angel mixed in with a horse then appeared on the field. It held up a lance like sword and swung it into readiness.

"Next I activate this magic card. The magic card known as Big Bang Shot! I equip this card to none other than to my powerful Airknight Parshath! Now he gains an additional 400 attack points (2300/1400). Time for me to take you down Bakura! Airknight Parshath, attack Bakura's life points directly with Fairy Slash!" The mighty angel galloped across the field.

As it neared, Bakura smiled and said "I don't think so. I return my Sangan (1000/600) to defend me." The small ball of orange fur reappeared.

"Good, cause that's what I wanted. Now Airknight, use Fairy Slash on Sangan!" The mighty angel easily slashed the ball of fur in half, easily destroying it. Suddenly then, Bakura's life points dropped by 1700 points.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Bakura.

Marie only laughed at his shock. "Surprised? You shouldn't be, seeing how you should have known my Airknight's special effect. Even when your monster is in defense mode, it still does damage to your life points. That means you just lost a chunk of points easily due to your miscalculation."

"Fine then, but now I get to add one monster to my hand from my deck thanks to Sangan. I add Kuriboh, so let's see you try and finish me."

Marie smiled, for she had a trick up her sleeve also. "Thanks to Airknight's damage, I can draw one card from my deck." She closed her eyes and hoped it was the card she needed. She slowly drew it and looked at the card. It was the exact card she needed to beat him.

"Time to wrap this up Bakura. Thanks to my last attack, my Deck Master also allowed me to gain life points equal to your monster's attack points. That means I gain 1000. Now Guardian Angel Joan, attack his life points directly!" Joan then brought her hands together and fired a powerful beam at Bakura.

He smiled and then discarded something. "I discard Kuriboh to stop this blast." he yelled as the blast neared. Marie nodded as a protective barrier of Kuriboh's defended Bakura.

"Now Tyrant Dragon, attack his life points directly with Tyrant Flame!" The mighty dragon roared and fired a ball of fire at Bakura. The blast was met head on by another wall of Kuriboh's.

Bakura laughed again, saying "I discarded my other Kuriboh as well, so I saved my life points from both attacks. Now it's all over."

Marie burst out loud laughing at Bakura's assumptions.

"What is so funny Marie?" he asked, curious to why she'd laugh at a loss.

"I'm laughing cause it's all over for you." she replied.

Still not understanding, Bakura said "Huh? I don't see how I'm going to lose since I have to just draw one more card."

Marie then laughed again and then said "It's over for you cause I play this magic card. The magic card known as Mystical Space Typhoon! Now I destroy your Destiny Board trap card."

Bakura only could gasp as a typhoon tore through his trap card, thus also destroying all of his other Spirit Message magic cards.

"No!" he said dramatically.

Marie slightly laughed at his melodrama and then said "I end my move." (Illidan 2900, Yami 3000, Marie 3500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 800, Seto 4000, Mai 0, Keith 0)


	112. Chapter 112: Ten Way Duel, Pt 5

**Hello once more everyone. Well, not too much new. I went to my interview this evening, and I must say, I'm excited at the possibility of this job. I want it, and I mean I want it bad. Almost as bad as I want Cindy. Gets smacked in the back of the head for making that kind of comparison. Ok, I want her more than the job, lol. Anyways, time to answer some more reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, the plushie was close to the real thing at least. Yeah, Vampire Lord is a good card, although I've never been a great fan of it. Mostly due that I ran stronger monsters, I guess. And yes, Cindy will make her little doggie demon feel better this weekend, hehe. He's not technically asleep. He's kind of just lying there from the mental feedback. It's like he's paralyzed, and just can't do a thing till the feedback fully clears out. But yeah, time to read is hard to come by anymore. Hopefully, that'll change very soon. We're almost done with the hay, but I'm sure dad will find something else to do… Grumbles about he never knows when to just relax. Looks at the chewed up Ryou. Well, at least he's alive, for now, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Claps for her song. Hard to tell, lol. As for retirement, I meant for saving for it. The place I work for at the moment has no retirement plan, which would suck when I'd be old enough to retire one day. And ok, I will tell her you all said hello. Btw, she's working on another chapter of _The History of the Millennium Items_. She might get it cranked out in the near future, or a week or two, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: At least you're happy. Pats you on head. That's the important thing, I guess. Anime sweat drops at comment about Ryou saving you. Yeah, keep thinking that.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Yep, he's a good duelist, and even though he was seventh, that don't mean your skill level. Lol, after all, Seto was eighth, it didn't reflect in his dueling skills, sometimes. Run guy who looks like Ryou! Sees it's too late. Oh well, another one just became a prisoner. Smacks Ryou in head with shovel. Then throws knocked out form into cell with pink-kiss-candy. Happy early birthday! Enjoy your present, hehe.**

**CWATZ: Thanks. I hope you continue to enjoy it.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Only reason Yami really attacked him was due that they were fighting as fast as they could to get the duel over with before grumpy butt gets back up. He may have hated to attack Joey, but he didn't have too many other choices. And yeah, Bakura would have won by default, but he didn't win, so oh well, lol.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: He was close, that's for sure, but close never counts, lol. We'll see about Marie losing control though. Never know, she may make it. Who knows, other than me, lol. Well, my fiancé does to since she proof read the thing for me, and just read it for the heck of it.**

**Well, that's all the reviews for this morning. Wow, I have 351 now! I only hit 300 last week, and now I'm up to 351. You guys are great! In fact, due to that reason, I'm going to post 2 chapters this morning. I had planned on one, but I'll post 2 now just for you all. Thanks for all the support and reviews. I hope you all enjoy the next two chapters. Later.**

**Chapter 112**

Bakura now frowned, for he had no monsters strong enough to take down everyone's monsters. Slowly, he drew his next card. He slightly smiled and seemed to have a better plan now.

"I first play the magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards. Next, I play Graceful Charity. I now discard my Ultimate Obedient Fiend and Goblin King. Now for the fun part of this duel. I play the Cheerful Coffin magic card, allowing me to discard yet another Goblin King, Byser Shock, and Dark Ruler Ha Des. Now that I have those three in the graveyard, I summon my Chaos Necromancer (0/0) in attack mode." All watched as a weak looking necromancer appeared. It had 0 attack and 0 defense, making almost everyone fall over in classic anime style.

"My fiend may look weak, but watch as his effect kicks in. He gains 300 points per a monster in my Graveyard, and last I checked, I have 10, meaning my monster gains 3000 points (3000/3000)!" His powerful necromancer than glowed as its dark powers were enhanced greatly due to the monsters in his Graveyard.

"Now Chaos Necromancer, attack Marie's Guardian Angel Joan with Necromancy Blast!" The powerful necromancer then raised his hands and fired a powerful blast at Marie's monster. Marie didn't look worried though. As the blast hurtled towards her Deck Master, she smiled.

"I'd think you'd have picked up my strategies by now Bakura. I reveal my face down trap, Mirror Wall! Now your monster's attack points are cut in half (1500/3000)!" The blast hit a wall made from mirrors. Once passing through, the blast was half of what it once was. Joan easily deflected the blast and returned fire with a stronger one, easily crushing Chaos Necromancer.

Bakura's life points ran down to 0 and he bowed his head. He smiled slightly, knowing he'd done his best though. He then started disappearing.

He then said as he was vanishing "Good duel Marie. Good luck from here on out." Then he disappeared completely, only leaving behind his Dark Ruler Ha Des card. He soon enough though reappeared on the wall.

Back on the field, Seto realized it was his turn now. "Watch out you amateurs. Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Illidan's pathetic Dark Magician of Chaos with Fist of Fate!" Obelisk then powered up and threw a powerful fist towards Illidan's weaker mage.

As it neared, Seto screamed "It's over for you and your pathetic mage!"

"Not quite yet Kaiba!" interrupted Yami. Continuing, he said "I move my Dark Magician Girl in to defend Illidan's Dark Magician of Chaos!" The smaller female mage leapt in front of the more powerful mage. She spread her arms in a defensive stance to shield her friend.

"You're a fool Yugi! Why sacrifice your monster to save Illidan?"

Yami smiled at that comment. "Because I'm not really sacrificing my monster. I reveal my face down magic card, Magical Pigeon, which transforms my Dark Magician Girl into a pigeon for one turn, thus evading your attack and saving Illidan's Dark Magician of Chaos!" Suddenly a top hat appeared over Dark Magician Girl. In a wink as she went under, the hat then shot out steam and 2 pigeons as Obelisk crushed the hat. The 2 pigeons landed on the face up Magical Pigeon card and waited.

Seto growled and said "Stalling and saving one another won't win this duel for you 2. You'd might as well give up now instead, rather than force my hand on my next turn. Both of you know you can't take on Obelisk's infinite power, so I'd begin thinking about ending this charade. I'll end my move." With that, the 2 pigeons returned to the field and a puff of smoke reappeared. Dark Magician Girl then reappeared and did a "Tada!" (Illidan 2900, Yami 3000, Marie 8500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 0, Seto 4000, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Illidan quickly drew his next card and smiled. "_Just what I needed to take down Obelisk the Tormentor, once and for all._"

"I play the magic card United We Stand! This magic card allows me to equip it to any monster of my choosing, and I choose my Dark Magician of Chaos! Now he gains 800 attack and defense points per a monster on my field. Since I have 2 currently, he gains 1600 points (4400/4200)!" The mighty mage then glowed with an awesome power. He swung his lance, showing his readiness for battle.

Seto only gasped and gripped his cards tighter.

"NO! This can't be!" he screamed out at Illidan.

Illidan only chuckled and replied with "But it can be! And now, to finish you off. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Obelisk the Tormentor with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The mage brought his staff up and fired a huge blast of dark energy at the powerful God Card. The blast collided with Obelisk, causing him to howl in pain. Slowly, the energy built up around him and finally destroyed him.

Seto only growled in frustration as his most powerful monster was gone. He glared at Illidan, saying "YOUUUU!"

Illidan only ignored him and said "Time to wipe you out, so I use my Deck Master's special ability. Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack Seto's life points with Chaos Slice!" The mage brought his staff up and made a downwards slash. A blade of energy formed and flew straight at Seto.

As it neared, Seto growled and said "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. Now I draw."

He drew to only growl again.

"I drew my Lord of Dragons, which is a dark type monster. So, I must discard it now to the Graveyard." He did so and then put his arms up in a defensive stance. The blast from Illidan's mage knocked him back some, but didn't knock him off his feet. He then went to one knee, panting. Slowly, he started disappearing.

He looked up and said "I will have my rematch soon Illidan!"

Illidan nodded and smiled. "Of course Seto." he replied. Seto then disappeared, leaving behind Obelisk the Tormentor. He then reappeared on the wall in bonds.

"I end my move." Illidan said proudly. (Illidan 2900, Yami 3000, Marie 8500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 0, Seto 0, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Yami then drew and looked at his card for a moment. Finally, he said "I play the magic card known as Card of Sanctity! This allows us all to draw till we hold 6 cards in our hand."

Illidan, Yami, and Marie then quickly drew their cards. Illidan had picked up his Kuriboh, Beta the Magnet Warrior, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and Ring of Destruction.

After drawing his cards, Yami then said "I special summon Watapon (200/300) in defense mode." A little white puff ball with blue eyes and antennas appeared on the field.

"Thanks to Watapon's effect, I could automatically special summon him to the field when I drew him using Card of Sanctity. Now I sacrifice Watapon in order to summon Summoned Skull (2500/1200)!" The small creature dematerialized and a powerful skeleton with muscle like fiend appeared in its place. It groaned at the field.

"Summoned Skull, wipe out Illidan's Luster Dragon with Lightning Strike!" The powerful fiend then raised its arms and lightening crackled in its hands. Then it threw a blast of it at the beautiful sapphire dragon. As strong and as beautiful as the dragon was, it was no match for the lightning attack, which simply fried the dragon. Illidan growled as his favorite non-tribute monster was easily wiped out.

"Next I set 2 cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 2300, Yami 3000, Marie 8500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 0, Seto 0, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Up on the wall, Yugi's friends cheered him on, saying "Great move!"

Yami looked up and smiled a half happy smile. He was more concerned with saving his friends than winning this duel.

Marie then drew her card and smiled. "Your Summoned Skull maybe powerful Yami, but wait till you check this monster out. I summon my powerful The Agent of Force – Mars (0/0)!" An angel in red then appeared. He wielded an axe and wore a mask to cover his face.

"Now for my monsters special effect. When Sanctuary of the Sky is in play, his effect becomes active. His attack and defense points become the difference between my opponents and mine life points. That means if I attack you Yami, the difference is 5500, while if I attack Illidan, the difference is 5600. So, now I must choose who to attack."

She shut her eyes, letting her mind try and focus. If she followed her heart, she'd attack Yami in an instant rather than Illidan. Her head knew better though, for Yami had 3 face down cards now. If she followed her head, she'd have to attack Illidan, for his monster was far weaker than hers. Opening her eyes, she sighed, knowing she had no choice.

Slowly, she said "I'm sorry Illidan, but I must take you out now. I didn't want to, but my mind knows better than my heart right now. So, here I go. Mars, attack Illidan's Dark Magician of Chaos with Force Destruction!" Mars then leapt into the air and powered up. He then fired a powerful beam from his axe at Illidan's mage.

Illidan only smiled and chuckled lightly. "I don't think so Marie. If your mind was as sharp as you thought, you'd have noticed I still have one face down card. And this card will be my saving grace!"

Marie had a sweat drop drip down her head. "What do you mean?" she asked shakily.

Illidan chuckled again and said "Allow me to show you what I mean. I reveal my face down magic card, Scapegoat! Now 4 Scapegoat tokens (0/0) are special summoned in defense mode." Four little goat creatures then appeared. Each had a smile that seemed to be a mock at Marie. Now she was confused.

"Wait, how does that help you at all? Mars is still too strong for you mage."

Illidan chuckled and pointed at his mage. Suddenly, his attack points shot up by 3200 points (6800/6600).

"WHAT?" Marie gasped.

"You forgot my powerful United We Stand magic card. It's still equipped to my mage, thus raising his attack and defense points by 800 per a monster on the field. Since I just added 4 more, he gained 3200 more points, thus making him the strongest on the field now. Now Dark Magician of Chaos, counter attack her blast with Chaos Slice!" The mage easily knocked away the mighty blast coming at him. He then swung his staff through the air, forming a blade of energy. The blade easily cut down Mars.

Marie stared in disbelief as her monster was destroyed. She growled and said "This duel is far from done Illidan. Now Tyrant Dragon, wipe out a Scapegoat with Tyrant Flame!" The mighty orange dragon powered up and roared. It then spat a blast of fire at one of the goats. The small goat easily was blown away.

"Now Tyrant Dragon's special effect kicks in. Since you have another monster on the field, Tyrant Dragon can attack again, so use Tyrant Flame on another Scapegoat!" The orange dragon roared again and blew away yet another goat with a powerful flame.

"Next I'll finish this duel by using my Airknight Parshath. Airknight, attack his Scapegoat with Fairy Slash to win me the duel!" Airknight neared the small goat quickly. Illidan only had 2300 life points, and since Airknight's effect allowed it to do damage to even defensive monsters, with it's 2300 attack, it could easily wipe him out.

Illidan only smirked as the powerful fairy swung his lance. He then discarded one card and a wall of Kuriboh's formed around his Scapegoat.

"NOT THAT!" cried out Marie.

"That's right Marie, I discard my Kuriboh to save my life points. Now your attack is useless." said a smug Illidan.

She sighed as the small goat was destroyed along with the Kuriboh's. "Now I set 3 cards face down and end my move." (Illidan 2300, Yami 3000, Marie 8500, Joey 0, Marik 0, Noa 0, Bakura 0, Seto 0, Mai 0, Keith 0)

Illidan then closed his eyes and drew his next card. "_I need something to end this duel now. Come on Heart of the Cards, guide me._" He then brought the card out in front of him slowly and opened his eyes. There it was; his life saver. "_Perfect. It's just what I needed to finish this duel once and for all._"

He quickly examined the field to make sure he could pull this move off though. He had 6 cards in his hand now, but would have 5 when he played this card. He had only Dark Magician of Chaos and a Scapegoat token out, along with his United We Stand. Yami had Dark Magician Girl, Summoned Skull, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and 3 face down cards, along with 2 cards in his hand. Marie had her Deck Master, Guardian Angel Joan, out, along with Airknight Parshath and Tyrant Dragon. She also had 3 face down cards, along with Big Bang Shot and 3 cards in her hand. Totaled together, they all had 26 cards in their hands and on the field. It wasn't enough for his plan to work fully on Marie, but it was close enough to get him the win. "_Wait, her Deck Master is out. Unless she can reel it back in, she's finished._"

"It's time I finish this duel, once and for all. I remove Thunder Nyan Nyan and Kuriboh from my graveyard in order to summon the monster of your 2's destruction. I special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" Marie and Yami stood in shock as the huge dragon appeared. The mighty black dragon roared at the field, while spreading out its powerful wings.

"Now Chaos Emperor Dragon, I pay 1000 life points in order to trigger your special effect. It's time for the end for you 2. I'm sorry it had to come to this, but it has to be done. Chaos Emperor Dragon, use your Infinite Blaster on the field and our hands, destroying everything in your wake!" The dragon roared and moved to the middle of the field.

Yami's eyes showed defeat, while Marie's showed a spark of hope yet. While roaring, the dragon began to glow with power. Slowly, bit by bit, the dragon reached full power. He then roared one last time and exploded, destroying everything in his wake. All of Yami's monsters were easily destroyed, as well as his face downs.

Marie's field was next, but before her Deck Master was blown away, she screamed "I'll save my Deck Master! I activate Guardian Angel Joan's second special ability. At a cost of one monster with the name Joan in it, I can save my monster. And since only one other monster in my deck has that name, it shouldn't be a shocker. I discard St. Joan from my fusion deck to save Guardian Angel Joan!" The angel Joan then switched places with the other Joan. The other Joan looked like a warrior rather than an angel. They swapped places just as the blast hit Marie's field. Slowly, one by one, her monsters were destroyed, followed by her face down cards. Then Illidan's field was slowly massacred, along with his United We Stand card. Then the explosion finished with a major shockwave. Marie was knocked to one knee and sat there on it panting. Yami was knocked to the ground, lying there panting as well. Illidan was still fine, for the devastation didn't even touch him.

Smiling, he then said "Now we add all the cards together. Altogether, we had 26 cards on the field and in our hands. That means we multiply 26 by 300 in order to find out the total damage. And the total damage is 7800! That means Yami and Marie, you both lose 7800 life points. That wipes you out Yami, and leaves you with only 700 Marie."

Yami's Duel Disk's Life Point Counter hit 0, and Marie's went down to 700.

Yami only smiled as he began to disappear. "I figured more than likely you were the one destined to stop him. Save the world for all of us my friend!"

Illidan nodded as Yami finally disappeared. Slifer the Sky Dragon was left on the field where he once stood.

Above, on the wall, 2 new figures appeared. First Yami appeared, but suddenly, Yugi was seen as well.

When Yami looked over and saw Yugi, he said "How is this possible!" Yugi looked just as shocked as Yami was.

"What now Yami?" he asked. Yami only shrugged and looked down.

"We wait." he finally said.


	113. Chapter 113: Ten Way Duel, Pt 6

**Chapter 113**

Back on the field, Marie was still on one knee panting. She had lost a majority of her life points to the blast and she was weakened due to her earlier fight for freedom. The combo was very stressful to her.

Slowly, she rose though. She stood on shaky legs, but knew the duel wasn't over.

Meanwhile, Gozaburo finally regained control of himself again. He realized the feedback had caused him to black out basically. He growled knowing Marie had caused the massive revolt. He had once again underestimated her strength and determination to be free from his mind control. Then he saw what he had only dreamed of. Illidan and Marie were facing one another in the final round of the 10-way duel. It was both of them going at it, with everything on the line. From what he saw, he figured Illidan had just devastated her with his Chaos Emperor Dragon. Marie was weakly standing there, just trying to hurry and finish the duel. He noticed she was mentally weak as well. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, he tried to invade her mind again with a huge assault of his mental abilities.

She screamed out in pain, causing Illidan to notice immediately that something had happened. He looked up quickly to see Gozaburo concentrating on Marie again.

"STOP IT!" he screamed at Gozaburo. As usual, Gozaburo ignored him. "I SAID STOP IT!" he screamed again. Still, there was no reaction.

Taking this as ignorance, he powered up his Millennium Key and began to concentrate on Marie. Slowly, he entered her mind. There, he saw her being encircled by the darkness of Gozaburo. He was attempting to control her mind again. She was struggling to keep a barrier of light up in order to protect herself, but she was so weak. The barrier was quickly failing, and was almost useless against the darkness. Soon Illidan no longer could see Marie.

"_NOOOO!_" he screamed mentally. With all his powers within the Millennium Key, he called forth all the light within himself. He then jumped into the darkness, knowing if he failed, Marie wouldn't be the only one controlled. He quickly found her in the darkness, still barely clinging to the little bit of light she had.

He wrapped his protective arms around her with her facing him, and said "_Marie, don't be afraid, it's me, Illidan. Don't give into this darkness. You're stronger than him._"

She was crying, saying "_No, I'm not. I've been trying so hard to stop him, but I can't. He's just too strong for me!_"

Illidan quickly hugged her tighter, saying "_No, he's not! Never believe you can't win. I know you. You're the strongest person I have ever known, and you've never given up, even when the odds were against you. You're so strong, but you have to believe you are as well. Trust yourself, and know, you will always have my love! That is what makes me so strong. I think of our love, and that gives me the power to conquer anything in my path!_"

She realized then that it was their love that had pushed him to protect her and the others that one horrible day in ancient times. The love that made him fight against an impossible foe. It was their love that allowed him to win that day. As well, it was their love that was his driving force in life that allowed him to do all the things he did. This was what made Illidan so strong. It wasn't the fact he was mentally tough or had trained for years. It was their love that pushed him above and beyond everyone else's power.

She then began to fight back against Gozaburo. Her heart was now rekindled with strength like none before. Now she fought with all she had in her heart and soul, for she let the love that continued to drive Illidan forward be the love that drove her forward.

Gozaburo was focusing so hard on beating both with his mental powers. When Marie and Illidan's powers then surged, he was shocked. Suddenly, Marie's power started growing larger than Illidan's even. It was nearing a level closer to the full potential of the Millennium Crown. In it's current state, which he had dubbed dormant, he wouldn't be able to hold back this awesome power. Realizing he was outmatched, he quickly stopped trying to take control of her and Illidan's minds. He quickly jerked back into his own mind, overwhelmed by the fact Marie had just shown more power than before. He was nearing exhaustion due to this, but the Millennium Crown's power kept him going for now.

Once Gozaburo was out of her mind, Illidan sighed, for Gozaburo was gone for now. He stood amazed at the power she had just displayed. Never had he seen such a strong energy level in all his years of training. Even his former master had not shown him this level of power. Marie quite possibly could have been the strongest being alive in ancient times, as well as current times. But the power was uncontrollable from what Illidan saw, for she was falling fast in energy levels. She quickly went down to her normal level, which shocked Illidan. "_It's like when you throw gas on a fire. The fire grows in intensity for a moment, but then in an instant, the fire dies down._"

Suddenly, she looked up at him, for she was gasping for air. "_Let's finish this on the field Illidan._" she said slowly.

Illidan nodded and left her mind. He reawakened on the field, still staring at her. She was standing there, still on shaky knees.

She then straightened herself and said "Finish it Illidan, for we know the result already."

Illidan nodded and then made his final move. "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. At a cost of 1000 life points, I resurrect my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)!" The mage then reappeared on the field, taking an offensive stance.

"I return one magic card thanks to his resurrection, and it'll be Scapegoat. Now Dark Magician of Chaos, finish this duel by wiping Marie out with Chaos Scepter Blast!" With that, the mage raised his staff. With concern in his eyes, he fired a smaller blast than normal. It was probably one that was one-fourth of his normal blast. It gently hit Marie, dropping her life points to 0. Slowly, she began to fade away.

Before leaving, she looked up at Illidan with tears in her eyes. She then said in a sad voice "Don't forget, it's up to you to save the world now. And never forget this. I will always love you." Then she faded away completely, leaving her Tyrant Dragon behind. Soon enough though, she reappeared on the wall with the others.

Illidan let out a few tears, for he was sad to see this was her fate.

The judge then raised his hand, saying "Illidan Stormrage is the winner of the 10-way duel! Also, he shall now receive the 9 new cards he has won. These cards must be used in your deck Mr. Stormrage." With that, the judge then started walking around, picking up the cards left behind.

This didn't matter to Illidan though. What mattered was the one he loved was on that wall and now at Gozaburo's mercy.

Gozaburo looked down from his throne and began laughing. "So Illidan, fate is throwing you and this crown together again. The only difference this time is I will succeed where that fool failed!" declared Gozaburo.

Illidan only glared at Gozaburo. "_He still doesn't realize he is the true reincarnation of Gozaburo of ancient times._"

"By the way Illidan," Gozaburo started, "I know about the seal you placed on the Millennium Crown."

Illidan only chuckled, thinking he meant he knew the basics of it. Of course, deep down, Illidan knew the true requirements were met now since he had won this duel. The only thing he could hope for was he wasn't forced to use the 9 new cards he'd won.

"If you think for one moment I don't know the true nature of this seal, you're mistaken." continued Gozaburo.

He chuckled and said "I know that you designed it so that the seal could never be broken, but guess what, it is. I know because I've studied your seal and have determined how to break it."

Sweat formed on Illidan's face. "_Has he truly deciphered the seal's instructions? If he has, he knows then how it can be unlocked. I told no one to insure that the secret would remain with only me._"

Gozaburo chuckled, knowing why Illidan was sweating. "It's humorous that you thought the seal would hold. And it would have, if not for the fact the 3 Egyptian God Cards were made."

On the wall, Marie asked Yami "What is Gozaburo going on about? I thought you, Illidan, and Gozaburo made the seal."

Yami, whose memory was still fuzzy, shook his head. "I don't know about that Marie. My memories are still fuzzy on the past." he said quietly.

Gozaburo only laughed again at Illidan. "FOOL! Did you honestly think your little seal would hold for all eternity?" said Gozaburo in a mocking voice.

Illidan only growled, hoping that the truth hadn't been discovered, but figured it had been.

Suddenly, Illidan received a mental message from Yami over their link, which had never been disconnected. "_Illidan, what is he talking about?_" asked his friend.

Illidan sighed, knowing he had to finally tell the whole truth about the seal on the Millennium Crown.

"Come now Illidan, tell your friends how your pitiful seal works, so they can know that you failed them in this life time, just like the last." mocked Gozaburo.

Illidan growled in anger, knowing Gozaburo probably did know. After all, he had said something about the Egyptian God Cards, which means he knew. Sighing, Illidan finally decided he had no choice.

"It's something that I thought would never happen. You see, it all began after the Shadow Powers of Egypt were far too dangerous to be left unchecked. This was determined after an idiot in the army had summoned one of the Egyptian God's to defeat an invading army. He was trying to display the might of Egypt, but instead showed how incredibly dangerous the Shadow Powers had grown. You see, not just anyone could call forth one of the three Egyptian Gods. Only a Shadow Court member, which consisted of me, Yami, Marie, Pegasus, Set, Shadi, Bakura, and Gozaburo, could summon and control the Gods. Of course, that didn't mean someone couldn't summon one of the Gods. It was the matter of controlling them. So, foolishly, this commander of the Egyptian Army summoned The Winged Dragon of Ra to defeat the approaching army. Bakura was there at the time, and watched the whole massacre."

Illidan then paused, sighing, remembering how stupid that commander had been to think he could control an Egyptian God.

"At any rate, the Gods attacked Egypt a few days later. Bakura had thankfully given us a short time to prepare. The Shadow Court fought a mighty battle with the Gods, and in the end, won. As punishment, we sealed them away for all eternity. No one would ever use them again. That then sparked the building of the Millennium Items. We started building them, sealing away the Shadow Powers of Egypt. Eventually, the last item was left. Unfortunately, it would hold the most Shadow Magic due that we didn't want to keep building items. This caused me, Yami, and the others to worry that this item could tip the balance of power and cause the end of the world. And it nearly did the first time. Gozaburo, unknowing of the Millennium Crown's true nature, attempted to use it after he had forged it and locked the powers within it. Fortunately, I was there and stopped him before he was able to do any damage to himself or anyone or anything else. It was then and there that I realized how dangerous the crown was. So, after meeting with Yami, we decided to seal away a majority of its power. I was put in charge of the seal, due that I was the Royal Seal Master of Egypt. Basically, I was in charge of making sure seals remained for as long as necessary. So, I was put in charge of the crown."

Illidan ran his hand through his hair for a moment, while thinking back about what he'd done.

Continuing, he said "I had to think of a seal that would protect Egypt for all time. So, it hit me like a ton of bricks. In order to break the seal, the duelist that wields the Millennium Crown would need to defeat the strongest duelist in the world. This duelist must have the power to wield all three Egyptian Gods as well. This would be proof of that duelist's worthiness to be called the strongest. If the one wielding the crown could defeat this person, the crown's full potential would be unlocked."

Gozaburo smiled and laughed out loud at Illidan. "See how foolish it was now?" he said in between laughs.

Illidan looked at the floor and said "At the time, it wasn't that foolish. The Gods were gone for all eternity, so we thought. Unfortunately, thanks to Pegasus's reincarnation, Maximillion Pegasus, the seal is possible to break. He recreated the 3 Egyptian Gods without any knowledge of the seal. Creating the 3 Egyptian God Cards has now put the world in more danger than he could have imagined."

Gozaburo continued to laugh. Finally, he calmed down and said to Illidan "Now you are the one that controls all three Egyptian God Cards. I expect you to prove that you deserve them though by defeating my associates. If you fail, you will lose your friends, as well as your own soul. And I know how much you care for their very well being Illidan. Believe me, one way or another, I will activate this crown. Whether it is through you or an associate, or one of your friends, is your choice."

Then he looked up at the people on the wall and laughed. "Now, this Shadow Game is over…" he began.

"NO!" cried out Illidan. "Don't hurt them! I'll duel you now if it takes that!" Illidan continued.

Gozaburo only laughed. "No, I'm not sending their souls to the Shadow Realm yet. I'm only storing them for your future duels, muwhaha!" replied Gozaburo. He then waved his hand and the Shadow Realm slowly faded away. All the people on the wall faded away as well.

"MARIE!" cried out Illidan.

As she faded away, she called out "I LOVE YOU ILLIDAN!"

He yelled back "I LOVE YOU MARIE!"

Then the Shadow Realm completely faded away. Nothing was there but an empty tower, Illidan, the judge, and Gozaburo. Illidan stood there, fists balled up and shaking. He glared at Gozaburo who motioned for the judge to hand Illidan something.

The judge walked over and handed him the 9 cards he'd won.

"You must use those 9 cards in your deck Illidan. In fact, you must use the card you wagered as well, so you have 10 cards you must use." stated Gozaburo.

Illidan looked at the 9 cards in his hand. Each had belonged to a person he knew. Each had a different feeling to him. The one that stood out the most though was the Tyrant Dragon card. He looked at it, knowing how much it meant to Marie.

Gozaburo then interrupted his thoughts by saying "Now that you are to duel my associates, you may reconstruct your deck if you wish Illidan."

The judge then handed him a key. "That key allows you into the vault where there is a stored copy of almost every card ever created. Only a few select cards aren't there. Mainly Seto's 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons and the God Cards. A few others as well, but that's beside the point. Just remember, you must use those 10 cards for sure though. Otherwise, do as you wish with your deck. Whatever cards you choose, you may keep also. Once you're done, return the key to the judge. The first duel shall be tonight. You shall face the first of my associates, so prepare your deck before then. You have till 7 P.M. Be here, or lose your friends, muwhahaha!"

With that said, Gozaburo then hit the button on his throne to lower himself into the tower. Illidan glared up at the man as he descended.

"So be it." Illidan said, in a voice of steel.


	114. Chapter 114: Teacher

**Hey everyone. Yawns Damn I'm tired. I got up at 5 am Saturday in order to go see Cindy, and didn't get to sleep any while with her sadly. Still, we did have fun, and her half dog demon is back up and happy. Falls asleep. About five minutes later, falls out of chair. Huh, what! Oh, sorry about that. I got little sleep and was worked to the max.**

**Oh yeah, I did pick up mine and Cindy's wedding rings Friday night. They're wonderful looking. They're silver with black inscribed into them, and there is a diamond on Cindy's ring. I like how they look, and we picked them out together a few weeks ago. We just had to get them sized to fit. But yay, now we have rings! We just have to go get married sometime, lol. We're planning next month, so happy day! At any rate, time for the reviews.**

**Isis the Sphinx: I did that from time to time. I tried to convert all numbers to words, but I didn't get them all. More than likely, I was tired, lol. I did a lot of writing near midnight or later. Of course, later on I did it through the day.**

**CWATZ: Yeah… Freaky indeed.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Try stripping Ryou naked and posting Polaroid's probably, lol. But yeah, he has to use all ten cards. You'll see the changes slowly throughout the duels with the associates. I made it competitive, but practical and possible. I think everyone will like the modifications I made.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: I don't blame you about Joey. Everyone has a favorite they're protective of. Yep, Kuriboh has saved many lives this tournament. He'll maybe get the MVP award, lol. Yeah, he's allowing Illidan to fix his deck however he likes. Yep, it'll be interesting, that's for sure.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks for the comments. Nah, they're not a chapter each. I think they ranged between 2-3, I believe. We'll find out later on about what Gozaburo has planned, so no worries. It'll be addressed, eventually, lol.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Ok… Slowly backs away. Yeah, you all go ahead and talk it out.**

**Pink-kiss-candy: NO! You poor thing, you had to burn all that stuff! My step brother in real life had to burn his cards. It sucked to be him, I'm sure, lol. This was due to a conflict with my step mom, his mom. She finds them "evil" and need destroyed. Yeah… Needlessly to say, I have since guarded my cards much better and have no intentions on burning them.**

**Fire Princess: Lol, it's alright. True, I have no clue what Croakie is, but it's alright. Glad it reminds you of your two's love. I tried to write it in memory of the love of me and my fiancé. And yes, English is hard!**

**Strawberry Cake: Lol, nice post. Good luck with work.**

**Well, that's all I have this morning. Since I didn't post yesterday, I'll post two this morning. Enjoy guys and girls, and invisible Ryou.**

**Chapter 114**

Once the judge had left Illidan alone, he went over and started punching one of the walls of the tower.

"_HOW COULD I HAVE LET HIM DO THAT TO THEM?_" That question screamed throughout Illidan's mind. Just like in the past, he couldn't save all his friends, and worst of all, he had possibly lost Marie forever this time.

He continued to smash his fists into the wall, trying to work off all his anger. Even when his hands started bleeding from hitting the wall, he didn't stop. He just continued to punch it. Finally, feeling tired, he stopped. He slumped down against it, bringing his knees up to his chest. He then sat there with his head down on his knees. Tears had started forming in his eyes during the whole punching workout.

Softly, he said "I've failed them, just like I failed to save Marie back in ancient times."

He then buried his face deeper into his knees, crying even more. Suddenly then, he felt a presence of someone he hadn't felt in over 5 millennia. He looked up to see a ghostly like figure. Slowly, he recognized the figure as his former teacher from the group of nomads he'd trained with. It was the man who he had once called a second father and best friend. This man was none other than the leader of the nomads, who called himself Squall. Squall looked at the somber young man with eyes of fire.

"Get up Illidan. Why do you give up the fight when it's not yet over?" he said in a voice that sounded of another world.

Illidan dried his eyes and stood. He stared in disbelief. Here was his teacher, whom had been dead for five millennia. Staring at his teacher, he said in a curious voice "Is it really you Squall?"

Squall laughed and said "Is that all you have to say to your old teacher? Didn't I teach you any respect, my young pupil."

Illidan smiled and knew it was truly Squall. "How… how are you here Squall?" Illidan slowly asked.

Squall chuckled and smiled at Illidan. "Never mind that Illidan. Tell me, why you are giving up the fight when it's not yet over?" the spirit replied.

Illidan sighed and looked at the ground. "If I continue, I may lose them all, if not destroy them all. They shouldn't have ever been involved. It's because of me they're in danger anyways. I failed them, just like I failed my friends and Marie in ancient times." he said in a downcast voice.

Squall then walked closer to Illidan and said "Illidan, did I not teach you when to stop feeling sorry for yourself? Besides, from what I remember and saw while in this form, it was not your fault during those times. Gozaburo was the one who brought on the fight. He was the one who stabbed Marie as well. You did all you could and then some. If not for you, Yami's spirit and the others might have died that day. I was so proud of how you handled yourself that day, for you showed true courage and bravery, the one thing I had tried to instill in you. But now, you act as if you did the worst thing possible. Know that you did the right things that day. You saved them all, not failed them all. I know that, for many of them live on, and not one regret that day."

Illidan still stood like a statue, eyes to the ground. His teacher was right, but still, he felt the guilt of that day. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Squall had placed his hand on his shoulder, and then said "I taught you to never doubt your actions. You did what was right and honorable that day. You should never be ashamed of what you did. You protected them all, and thanks to that, each has had a chance to be reborn. If not for that, there would be no one here now to save this world from the reincarnation of Gozaburo."

Illidan lifted his face to Squall, realizing his mentor was right. He hadn't truly failed them, for each of his friends was now with him. He smiled, knowing for the first time with the knowledge that he hadn't failed them.

Squall smiled and softly chuckled. "Illidan, it's not over though. You must continue the good fight. If you let Gozaburo continue, he'll destroy them. You must find the courage to continue the good fight. Remember my young pupil, I taught you to never give up, even in the face of impossible odds. Surrender is not an option this time, for you know this. Go and fight him with all you have. I know you can win, if you believe in yourself, your deck, and your friends. And never forget, you are fighting for something that matters more to you than anything else. Remember that I always fought hard to protect my family, friends, and most of all, my wife. I know you do the same for Marie, for I watched as you fell in love with her then and now. Don't forget, she is worth the fight, no matter what."

Illidan nodded, for he truly knew what his friend was saying. "I will Squall. I promise to fight till my last breath to protect them all, especially Marie." Illidan replied.

Squall smiled and then replied "Good. And now I must go. Keeping this form is difficult and drains my power."

Illidan quickly asked "Wait, how you are even here? You've been dead for over 5 millennia. You should long be gone from this world."

Squall smiled and replied "I stay here due to the link I kept with you. I was able to maintain a connection to you throughout your life. In essence, I still remain due that I chose to protect and watch over you. True, I really can't protect you that well, but I have watched you slowly over time. I've always kept watch so I'd know the boy I helped raise would become a true man."

Illidan smiled and said "Thank you. I always hated parting with you like I did."

Squall smiled back and turned around. "Never forget that I am always here Illidan. I shall watch over you forever."

With that, he slowly disappeared. Illidan then lost the feeling of the presence. He smiled and looked at his hands. The places on them which had been bleeding were healed somehow.

"Thanks for healing me my friend." he said softly.

With that, he headed towards the elevator. Now renewed with words of his former teacher and friend, he knew what he had to do. He had to press on and win his friends back, at any cost. Slowly, he rode the elevator down to the floor which housed the card room. How he knew where the room was due to the key he had. It gave the room number and all.

Finally, he arrived at the room. He used the key he'd been given to enter and gasped. There were tons upon tons of cards within the room. They were on display all over. He walked towards the middle of the room where a large table sat. He then took his Duel Disk off and took his deck out. Slowly sifting through it, he tried to think what he should keep.

He laid the 10 cards he had to use to the side first. He spread them out and looked at them. He had his own Dark Magician of Chaos, Yami's Slifer the Sky Dragon, Marie's Tyrant Dragon, Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra, Noa's Yamata Dragon, Bakura's Dark Ruler Ha Des, Seto's Obelisk the Tormenter, Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady, and Keith's Perfect Machine King.

Each monster had a different effect. He then noticed 9 out of 10 were tribute monsters. Only Cyber Harpie Lady was thankfully non-tribute. He then made a row on that table for non-tribute, single tribute, double tribute, and triple tribute monsters. He had three monsters that required three tributes, which were all three God Cards. Then he discovered he only had one single tribute monster as well. It was just Dark Ruler Ha Des though. The remainder of the five cards required double tributes.

Sighing, Illidan shook his head. "I'll need many non-tribute monsters to even summon some of these cards. Maybe I should look into magic and trap cards that help me summon more monsters. Also possibly find some monsters that help summon other monsters." he said some what softly.

He then grabbed his deck. Slowly, he looked through it, trying to find out what he wanted to keep. So far, he had 10 cards he had to have in his deck. As he looked through his deck, he realized he wanted the other three tribute monsters he had, which were Jinzo, Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End, and Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. So, he placed the three monsters out on the side. He then set his deck down and looked at each of the three cards. Finally, he took them and added them to the other 10 cards he had laying out. He added Jinzo into the single tribute area, and then stood there thinking where to put his dragon and warrior. Finally, he made a new row for them, calling it his special summon row.

Now he had 13 cards in his new deck. This made him realize in order to use Valkyrion, he needed all three Magnet Warriors. He slowly dug them out of his deck and placed the three in the non-tribute monster area. Now he had 16 cards picked out.

Slowly, he constructed his deck. After a great while, he had his deck pieced together. Sighing, for he'd finally finished, he only hoped his new deck would work.

"I know it will." he told himself. He then continued with "I just have to put my faith and trust in it. Besides, I have nine cards in it from my friends who trust me. With their help, I'll win this tournament and put an end to Gozaburo's evil."

He then looked at the clock. He had started right about 1 P.M., and it was now 3:30. Sighing again, he got up and slid his new deck into his Duel Disk. Then he gathered up the cards he'd taken out of his deck. He placed them in his deck holder. He then made sure he had put everything else up. After getting the room cleaned up, he slowly walked out and locked the door back.

Illidan then headed for his room. Once there, he took a quick shower. When he got done, he placed his old cards in his suitcase, just for safe keeping. Then he fixed himself some dinner.

While eating, he began to think about the five associates of Gozaburo's that he'd have to face. He'd heard from Yami that those five had once worked for Gozaburo. When Seto had taken over Kaiba Corp though, they joined Seto. Seto eventually fired them all though. Then from what he remembered, Seto had their minds placed into the mainframe of Kaiba Corp as punishment for betraying him.

That's where things go weird. Yami had then told him that the five of them, along with Noa, took them prisoner and placed them all in a virtual world. There, the five fought them all for possession of their bodies. Luckily, all 5 failed to win their duels, so none escaped. What happened to them, Yami didn't know. He guessed more than likely Noa or Gozaburo one destroyed them then, but now that they knew five associates were waiting in the wings, more than likely they'd been saved. Illidan had asked Yami about the five's dueling tactics, but he wasn't sure. He had only faced one of the five and watched part of the others, but really had no clue how they dueled, for each had a different style. Sighing, Illidan wished he had pressed Yami for more information now.

Finally, he finished eating and checked the time. It was already 5 P.M., so Illidan decided to do a little work out. As his former master had always taught him, to train the mind you must first train the body. He went and practiced, gently kicking or punching the wall as some kind of target. Finally, at six, he stopped and cleaned up. After another shower, he was ready to go. It was 6:30, so he figured he'd go ahead and head up to the top of the tower.

"Might as well go early for once." he said with a chuckle. He grabbed his Duel Disk and made sure his new deck was still in it. Once satisfied, he headed towards the elevator. There the judge stood at it. He handed the key he had received earlier in the day back to him.

"Thank you Mr. Stormrage." He politely said to Illidan.

Illidan nodded and asked "May I go to the top now?"

The judge smiled and nodded. The 2 boarded then and went to the top of the tower. There sat Gozaburo in his throne. On each side of him stood two men each. There was a fifth man out in the middle of the dueling ring.

Gozaburo smiled at Illidan's arrival and said "Since you're early, we'll start early."

Illidan nodded with a glare at him. He then turned his attention to the man in the middle. He was a heavy set man with gray hair, which was slightly receding from the looks of it, who wore a business suit and had a cane. As well, he had a Duel Disk strapped to his arm.

He smiled as he saw Illidan. In a burly voice, he said "Is that the young punk I'll be dueling Mr. Kaiba?"

Gozaburo smiled and replied "Yes Gansley, it is."

Illidan smirked at the fact that this old man had called him a young punk.

"Duelists, if you're ready, we shall begin. Both of you please come forward." interrupted the judge. Both Illidan and the business man walked up.

"Please shuffle each other's decks. Then shake hands and return to your places. Next activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Since Illidan is the champion, he has choice of who goes first." stated the judge.

Illidan thought for a second and then said "I'll go second."

The judge nodded and said "Mr. Gansley shall go first then. Now, hand one another your decks and shuffle. Then proceed."

Illidan handed his deck to Gansley and Gansley did the same to Illidan. Both shuffled and then handed one another back their decks. Illidan then extended his hand to shake, as did Gansley.

"May the best business man win." said Gansley. His handshake was strong to Illidan, but Illidan squeezed back pretty hard himself.

After shaking hands, Gansley then turned and slowly walked away. Once he walked to his position, he turned and threw his cane to the side of the dueling ring.

Illidan as well turned and walked to his designated position on the field and then turned back towards Gansley.

Both then activated their Duel Disks, which unfolded and lit up.

"I call forth my mighty investment, Deepsea Warrior (1600/1800)." An underwater warrior then appeared. He had green scales and some kind of odd armor. He carried a lance with him as well.

Taking a deep breath, Illidan then remembered all he was fighting for. Then in a voice of confidence, he said "Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500), come and help bring me victory in this duel." The mighty warrior then appeared beside Illidan. His black armor shined in the setting sun.

Both Illidan and Gansley then drew their first 5 cards. "LET'S DUEL!" declared both.


	115. Chapter 115: Business 101, Pt 1

**Chapter 115**

"Just so you know Illidan, this duel is about more than your pathetic cards and titles. It's more about me earning my spot back onto Mr. Kaiba's board of future directors of the world. Once I win this duel, I will prove my worth and be the new Vice President of Business Strategy of the entire world, muwhahaha!" Gansley started laughing out loud in an incredibly annoying laugh that made Illidan feel like plugging up his ears.

"You done yet?" asked an annoyed Illidan.

Gansley stopped laughing and said "Now to show you why I'll be back on top. Here goes my move. I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn." (Gansley 8000, Illidan 8000)

Illidan felt like doing an anime fall over. "After all that talk, that's all you got? You're in real trouble then." Illidan then drew and looked at his new card. His hand now consisted of The Creator, The Creator Incarnate, Sinister Serpent, Painful Choice, Ring of Destruction, and his newly drawn Ring of Defense. He smiled at his new cards, for his new deck was already paying off for him.

"First I'll play Painful Choice. This card allows me to pick 5 cards from my deck and force you to choose one of the five for me to keep. The five cards I'll have you choose from are Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Dark Magician of Chaos, Jinzo, D.D. Warrior Lady, and Perfect Machine King. Now, take your choice."

Gansley thought for a moment and finally said "Keep your weaker Perfect Machine King. That pitiful creature is useless to you currently."

Illidan smiled and picked up Perfect Machine King and added it to his hand. Then he sent the rest to the Graveyard. "_Perfect, now my plan is set up. I just have to get The Creator out and he'll be in real trouble._"

"I summon The Creator Incarnate (1600/1500) in attack mode." A warrior in golden armor and a purple cape then appeared. He had a golden sword at his side as well.

"Next, I place 2 cards face down. The Creator Incarnate…"

"Wait right there Illidan!" commanded Gozaburo. Illidan glared up at the man who had interrupted his move. "I've decided to take this duel up to the next level for you 2. Now, prepare for a Shadow Game, muwhahaha!"

Suddenly Gozaburo's Millennium Crown glowed with power and the tower went pitch black. A giant sphere once again formed on the tower and the darkness of the Shadow Realm was revealed.

Illidan looked around and suddenly saw all the people Gozaburo had captured were still on the wall. He sighed, thankful they were all still alright.

Illidan looked up and yelled to Marie "Are you all alright?" Everyone slowly nodded, signaling they were fine. Illidan was happy that they were at least not hurt. Then he turned his attention back to Gozaburo.

"Let them down Gozaburo." he demanded.

Gozaburo laughed and replied "Why? After all, they are still my prisoner till a later time. At any rate, now for the rules of this Shadow Game. They are simple. I got this game from the dark side of Marik."

Suddenly little strings started forming off of Illidan and Gansley's monster. The strings ran back to the duelist that owned the monster. The string of Gansley's monster attached to Gansley's chest, and Illidan's Creator Incarnate's string attached to Illidan's chest. Looking at the string, Illidan could tell it was an energy string that connected himself to his monster.

"Let me guess, we feel the pain of the monster when it's destroyed?" he said in a curious voice.

Gozaburo laughed and said "Correct Illidan. How did you figure it out?"

Illidan laughed and replied "Don't forget, I once was a Shadow Duelist. I know how Shadow Games go. So be it if you want to play this game. I'll still win."

Gansley looked curiously though at Gozaburo. "I don't understand Mr. Kaiba, why are you doing this to me though?"

Gozaburo chuckled and replied "Call it a test of your strength. If you fail it, you'll be banished forever. This is your last chance to prove your worth, and fail here and you'll never get another chance. By the way, if either of you lose, you lose your soul as well, muwhahaha!"

Illidan only chuckled. "Is that the best you could come up with? Please, don't insult me. Now let's get on with this duel." he said. Illidan then tried to remember his last move.

"Now, where was I? Ah yes, I was about to attack. The Creator Incarnate, attack Gansley's face down monster with Incarnate Slash!" The warrior then leapt across the field and quickly sliced the face down monster. A flying squirrel then appeared from the broken card image. The monster was easily crushed. With that, the energy string connected to the monster was cut and flew back to Gansley, causing him to cry out in some pain.

"Ah! Well, that smarts, but it's only a small price to pay in order to defeat you. You just attacked my Nimble Momonga (1000/100), which is what I wanted you to do. You see, when one is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 life points. Next I can special summon up to 2 more Nimble Momonga in face down defense mode."

Two new face down monsters then appeared.

"Next I shuffle my deck and that's all for now."

Illidan smirked. He then comically said "So, you're a gluttin for more pain, eh?"

Gansley laughed and said "If you say so."

Illidan smiled and then said "Thanks to my last attack, I can activate my Deck Master's special ability. The Creator Incarnate, attack one of his face down monsters with Incarnate Slash!" As before, the warrior crossed the field, raising his sword to strike a monster.

Gansley laughed and said "You pathetic fool, you have no idea what you've just done. Rushing into things is a sad business move my boy. Now I activate my Deck Master's special ability. By sacrificing both of my monsters, I can now use my Deck Master's special ability known as Reflector Hole. This takes your attack and fires it directly back at your own life points!"

Suddenly both face down cards disappeared and a rift opened. The Creator Incarnate went flying in the rift. Then the rift reopened in front of Illidan and the warrior came flying back out. Then he slashed Illidan with his sword. Illidan cried out in pain, but wasn't hurt too badly. Luckily, the damage was minimal, so he didn't feel too much pain.

"Well Illidan, did you learn from your mistake? I wouldn't try attacking me if I was you, but of course, if you don't, you'll lose this duel, muwahaha!" taunted Gansley.

Illidan slightly growled and said "I end my move." (Gansley 9000, Illidan 6400)

Gansley grinned and drew his card. He smiled even more and said "I set one monster in defense mode. That shall end my move. Now, how about trying it again Illidan?" (Gansley 9000, Illidan 6400)

Illidan only smiled and drew his card. He looked at his Luster Dragon and decided to hold off on it. "Well, you'll pay for last time, cause I'm about to make this duel really tough on you. Now I activate The Creator Incarnate's special effect. By sacrificing it, I can summon The Creator (2300/3000) in defense mode." A large monster in bronze coloring then appeared. It had huge metal wings on its back, which were attached to a huge circle. It was an odd looking creature to say the least.

"Now I activate The Creator's special effect. By discarding one card from my hand, I can revive one monster in my Graveyard. So, I discard my Sinister Serpent to revive Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!" The Creator eye's glowed and suddenly a powerful dragon appeared. Its red eyes glowed as its black skin shimmered.

"It's my dragon!" called out Joey.

Illidan smiled at Joey's words and said "This dragon is a gift from a friend, and I intend to use it to set him and my other friends free. Now Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack his face down monster with Inferno Fire Blast!" The dragon roared and opened its mouth. It then started forming a ball of energy within its mouth. Finally, it spat the blast at the face down monster. The card image was easily blown away. A giant goopy looking sphere appeared out of the card image, but was easily destroyed. The energy string that was connected to the monster frayed, causing Gansley to cry out in pain.

After he had a moment to regain his composure, Gansley said "Well Mr. Stormrage, you failed once again to realize the danger of rushing head long into business. You see, you attacked my Giant Germ (1000/100). It has a few effects, much like my former Nimble Momonga. First, you lose 500 life points. Next, I can special summon up to 2 new Giant Germ's in attack mode, which I'll do. Then I shuffle my deck again." Two new blob like spheres then appeared.

Illidan only chuckled. "You think I'm foolish enough to attack you again, don't you? Well, I have news for you Gansley, the joke is on you this time. I activate my trap card, Ring of Destruction, and I equip it to one of your Giant Germ's!" A huge ring then appeared and flew across the field like a UFO. Then it encircled one of the blobs locked itself on. Then the explosives detonated, easily blowing away the monster. The string connected to the blob then snapped, causing Gansley to feel the monster's pain as it exploded.

He gasped for a second, but then chuckled. "You lose life points as well though Mr. Stormrage." commented Gansley as his life points went down.

"Not quite! I reveal my face down Ring of Defense. This will protect my life points from the blast." A new ring then appeared. It was in the shape of a cone originally, but started spinning. Slowly, 4 fans unfolded from the cone to form a ring. The ring then stopped the damage from hitting Illidan. Gansley growled in frustration while Illidan smirked.

"Now it's time I teach you a lesson in business Gansley. Playing the business techniques don't always work, so when in doubt, call on friends. Thanks to my Deck Master, I can attack, so Red-Eyes use your Inferno Fire Blast on Giant Germ!" The dragon roared again and spat yet another blast of red energy at the Giant Germ. The blob was easily blown away, causing yet another energy string to snap and cause yet more pain for Gansley.

"You still lose 500 life points though Mr. Stormrage, so that was stupid."

Illidan only laughed at Gansley's comeback.

Suddenly, a new monster appeared on Gansley's field though, which caused Illidan to stop laughing.

"Where did that monster come from?" Illidan asked curiously.

Gansley laughed and replied with "It's thanks to my Deck Master's second special ability. You see, when I receive 1000 or more damage, I can special summon one monster from my deck with 1000 or less attack points. And the monster I've chosen to special summon is Wall of Illusion (1000/1850) in defense mode!" The monster had a wall of muscle and then a face in the middle.

Illidan then said "I end my move." (Gansley 6600, Illidan 5400)

Laughing, Gansley then drew another card. "Ah, time to add yet another hard worker to my work force. But first, I require some new grounds to work on. In order to do that, I play the magic card known as Terraforming. This card allows me to add one field card from my deck to my hand. I now choose A Legendary Ocean. Next I shuffle my deck. Now I'll play A Legendary Ocean!" With that, a huge tidal wave appeared and covered the field in knee deep water.

Illidan could only stand there, feeling water rush around him.

Gansley then continued, saying "With this magic card on the field, it acts like Umi. Next, it lowers all my water monsters by one level. Finally, it raises their attack and defense points by 200. Now, I'll summon another powerful employee. I summon The Legendary Fisherman (1850/1600) in attack mode." Flying out of the water was a warrior with a harpoon. He was on the back of a killer whale.

"Now I'll set one card face down and end my turn. It looks like I'm rising to the top while you continue to sink down in debt Mr. Stormrage." (Gansley 6600, Illidan 5400)

Illidan drew and said "Don't kid yourself, Gansley. I'm about to put you out of business. Since I just drew a card, my Sinister Serpent's special effect kicks in. Now I can return him during my Standby Phase to my hand. Next I set one card face down."

Illidan then stopped to look at the field. "_He has 2 monsters on the field again, so he can use his Deck Master's special ability, meaning I'll lose life points. His Wall of Illusion only has 1850 defense points, so I'd need something with 1900 attack points, which happens to be my Luster Dragon. Unfortunately, Wall of Illusion sends my monster back to my hand when I successfully attack it. The only thing is, can Gansley afford to allow me to attack his monster? After all, with Legendary Ocean out, Legendary Fisherman can't defend him. As well, can he afford to destroy both his monsters? Hmm, I have to think on this one._"

Meanwhile, on the wall of the sphere, Marie looked on worried. She knew if Illidan attacked again this time, Gansley would only reflect his attack back, and Illidan couldn't afford to take more damage.

"Don't worry guys, I know Illidan will take him down." said Yugi.

Marie looked over with a face of concern. "But Gansley has the upper hand for now." she said flatly.

"Yes, but he can beat him. Trust me, me and Yami beat him once, and so can Illidan." replied Yugi.

She smiled and realized also that Illidan was smart enough to figure out Gansley's moves. "I just hope he is careful, for once one of his monsters is destroyed, he'll feel the pain." she said with concern.

"Eh, don't worry about it Marie. Illidan has my Red-Eyes Black Dragon out helping him after all. I wouldn't worry."

She looked over to a smiling Joey who had made the statement. She smiled, hoping he was right.


	116. Chapter 116: Business 101, Pt 2

**Hey everyone. Well, yet another fun day has come and gone. Hmm, not much has happened here. I managed to finally finish up writing on my Inuyasha one-shot, titled _Why is it_. I hope that it does as well as this story. Anyways, not much else has happened. Soon I'll begin working more and more on my other stories, which includes the one-shot for after the sequel to this story, and then I can begin work on the final sequel as well once more. Soon I'll have lots to do, lol. At any rate, time to answer some reviews.**

**CWATZ: Yeah, but he already was one really. So, no big deal about him being a fighter.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, I know. He just felt he was to blame, which I can relate. Thanks for the comment on my combo. It was something I thought of when I first saw The Creator. Poor Bakura, lol. Wait, did you throw the girls in too, or just him? Yeah, Gansley hasn't changed much. I did make changes to his deck, as well as the others, but as for going all out and changing their Deck Masters, nah. About the dragon, nah, I didn't use it. I thought about it, but didn't do it due to complications it would cause me.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: You are welcome, and usually when I get a day behind, I always try to post 2 to make up for the day before. And yeah, as long as Umi is out, Legendary Fisherman can't be attacked. I don't think he tried to attack it though, or if he did, I forgot, lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, I liked that part myself. You'll learn more about Squall in Cindy's story, but I thought I'd bring him out in mine as well. Lol, yeah, the henchmen are using different decks, but Red-Eyes is there to save the day! Watches Red-Eyes put a cape on and call himself "Super Red-Eyes."**

**Fire Princess: Lol, it's alright. I know at the least you said hello. Yes, English is hard to speak. It's a tough duel, that one is for sure. Don't worry, you'll get your English down. It just takes time. And don't mind the crazy girl. I see Ryou too, and I'm a bit older. Some people just don't believe in him I guess, lol.**

**Strawberry Cake: Yep, they're back, and just as bad as ever, lol. Turns the channel. That show is like watching the space channel, lol. Throws rock at TV, thus turning it off. That takes care of that irritation.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Yeah, he's positive, at the least. Ok, those 2 are just odd. Feeds Ryon more sugar.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yep, it is unbelievable, lol. You know Gozaburo would have to revive his 'faithful' henchmen. Lol, frightened of Ryon are you? He seems like such a nice guy though. Looks at him cackling evilly. See, he's so happy, so what's to be scared of, lol.**

**Well, that's all I have for today. Btw, for all fans of _The History of the Millennium Items_, Cindy is working on it. She's nearly finished a chapter, but the problem is getting it posted. I'm not due to return to see her for two weeks, so that might mean a bit of a wait, unless I decide to go this coming weekend. I don't know for sure what I'll do, so I'll let you all know though.**

**Anyways, I'm done for this morning, so I'll talk to you all tomorrow once again. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 116**

Back on the field, Illidan was weighing his options. "_If I attack, I could run into his Reflector Hole. But he could also choose not to use it and have my monster return. Hmm, but then he'd be wide open for a direct attack. I have to take that chance though. I'll use Luster Dragon, that way if I don't succeed, I won't lose that many life points. Wait, I have a better idea. I'll resurrect Dark Magician of Chaos to return my Ring of Defense. If he dares to use Reflector Hole, I'll use Ring of Defense to save my life points. Yeah, that'll work._"

"Watch this move. You talk a good game, but it's time I show you how a true strategist thinks. I now activate The Creator's special effect. I once again discard Sinister Serpent, allowing me to resurrect my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode." The Creator's eyes flashed and suddenly a pentagram of fire formed on the field. Slowly, the mage clad in tight fitting black armor appeared. His eyes had a glow of magical buildup. When he finally was fully on the field, he swung his staff, causing all the fire to extinguish.

"Next Dark Magician of Chaos's special effect kicks in. Since he's been special summoned, I can add one magic card from my Graveyard to my hand. So, I add Ring of Defense back. Now I summon my Luster Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode." A sapphire dragon with ruby eyes then appeared. It let loose a roar to try and strike fear in Gansley's heart.

"Now Luster Dragon, attack his Wall of Illusion with Ruby Blaster!" The beautiful sapphire dragon roared and took flight. Then it opened its mouth and spat a ruby colored blast of energy at Wall of Illusion. The blast easily destroyed the walled creature. As it was struck, it shot a blast at Luster Dragon, causing the dragon to disappear from the field. Then the walled creature fully exploded. The energy string connecting to Gansley then broke, causing Gansley to yell out in pain. He went to one knee, breathing heavily.

Finally, he smiled and stood. "Thanks to your move Mr. Stormrage, your Luster Dragon is returned to your hand." he finally said.

Illidan only chuckled, saying "Of course. Now you have no monsters that are capable of defending your life points. Legendary Fisherman can't defend you due to his special ability, so say good bye to a chunk of your life points. Red-Eyes Black Dragon, direct attack his life points with Inferno Fire Blast!" The black dragon roared and opened its mouth. Energy built up in it till finally a blast of red energy was fired.

The sphere of energy hurled quickly towards Gansley, but he only smirked. "I think not Mr. Stormrage. I activate my trap card, Tornado Wall!" Suddenly several tornados formed around Gansley. The blast from Red-Eyes smacked into one of the tornados and was easily destroyed.

Illidan slightly growled in frustration. "Did you actually think I would allow you to attack me? You're a foolish one if you did." taunted Gansley.

Illidan only let out a slight chuckle and said "I'll end my move for now." (Gansley 6600, Illidan 5400)

"Good, cause now I'm going to force you to continue to decline. I play the magic card known as Pot of Greed, allowing me to add 2 new cards to my resources. I just drew the monster known as Watapon (200/300), which I can special summon to the field in defense mode." A small white fuzz ball with antennas then appeared.

"He is a small worker, but an efficient one. Next I summon the young man known as Marauding Captain (1200/400) in defense mode." A young warrior with two swords, one on each side, then appeared in a defensive stance.

"Thanks to this up and coming young man, I can special summon yet another monster from my hand. And I choose an industrious worker that you have been using. His name is Sinister Serpent (300/250), in defense mode. And thanks to A Legendary Ocean, he gains 200 more to his stats (500/450)." A small serpent creature then appeared. It had wings on the side of its back and it stuck its tongue in and out, much like a snake would.

"That should be enough for now. Let's see what you can do Mr. Stormrage." (Gansley 6600, Illidan 5400)

Illidan drew his card and looked at it. He just smiled at his new card. "You know Gansley, you're right, your workforce is pretty large and powerful, but not nearly powerful enough. You should be ready for the tough times. And those tough times have just arrived. First, I return Sinister Serpent from my Graveyard. Next I summon Tribe-Infecting Virus (1600/1000) in attack mode!" A group of iguana like creatures then appeared. They seemed sick or something. One held a staff in his hand.

"What a pathetic monster. You think that will give me a tough time?" said Gansley mockingly.

Illidan only chuckled and said "Yes, he will. Now watch as he gets a power boost from your field card (1800/1200). And now, I activate Tribe-Infecting Virus's special ability. You see, when I discard one card from my hand, I can declare one monster type. If that monster type is on the field, it's instantly destroyed."

Gansley's face turned grim when he heard this. He did after all have 3 types of monsters on the field. Two of his monsters were the same type, so that presented a problem.

"Now I discard Sinister Serpent in order to destroy Warrior types!" The group of iguana like creatures then glowed and sent a cloud of gas over to Gansley's side of the field. Gansley's Legendary Fisherman and Marauding Captain grabbed their throats as they changed to a greenish color and finally exploded.

Gansley growled but smirked. "Nice try Mr. Stormrage, but you've failed to clear my field."

Illidan smirked back and replied "Who said I was done?"

Gansley's face went white with fear.

"Now I activate Tribe-Infecting Virus's effect again. I discard my Perfect Machine King in order to destroy Fairy types!" A new cloud was sent over from the iguana creatures. Watapon started turning green and then exploded. Gansley now only had his Sinister Serpent left.

"Now it's time to do something about that trap card of yours. I discard my Luster Dragon in order to activate The Creator's special ability. I now resurrect Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode!" The Creator's eyes glowed and Jinzo then appeared on the field. He let out a moan and crossed his arms.

"Now all our trap cards are negated, meaning Tornado Wall is useless to you. Time to take you down a notch, and it starts with this monster. Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack his Sinister Serpent with Inferno Fire Blast!" The mighty dragon opened its mouth as an energy sphere formed. It then spat it at Sinister Serpent. The small serpent was easily crushed by the blast. This caused the small energy string connected to the serpent to snap, causing Gansley to scream in pain. He went down to one knee again, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, but it's not over yet. Now my Deck Master allows Red-Eyes to attack again. Red-Eyes, attack him directly with Inferno Fire Blast!" Screeching, the dragon then fired yet another sphere of red and black energy. The blast hit Gansley, causing him to fall down completely.

Slowly, he got up and was chuckling. "Well, it has been a while since I've had a good strategist to take me on, but you failed to notice one thing Mr. Stormrage." said Gansley in a mocking tone.

"And what would that be Gansley?" asked Illidan.

"That my Deck Master's special ability kicks in for the damage you gave me. Now I can special summon this monster, my Hyena (1000/300) in defense mode." A hyena then appeared on the field. Like real hyenas, it just let out a laughing like bark.

Illidan only laughed. "Trying to hide behind a vulture won't work Gansley. After all, it's still my move, and I can attack with another monster. Now Jinzo, attack his Hyena with Cyber Energy Shock!" Jinzo brought his hands up and formed a ball of black energy. Then he threw the ball at the hyena, which was still laughing, even when it was blown away. That cut the energy string to Gansley, which fell to his knees in pain.

He started laughing though as he stood up. "Not… bad Mr. Stormrage, but you'll… have to do better than that. After all, … you triggered Hyena's special effect. Now I can special summon up to 2 new ones from my deck in attack mode." Two new hyenas's then appeared, both laughing.

Illidan could only laugh. "So, you're a gluttin for more punishment. Well, who am I to stop you? Dark Magician of Chaos, wipe out his Hyena with Chaos Slice!" The mage then pointed his staff at one hyena. He then made a swiping motion and an energy blade formed. The blade easily sliced through the hyena, instantly breaking the energy thread connected to Gansley, who screamed in great pain.

"Now Tribe-Infecting Virus, attack his last Hyena with Tribe Club Smash!" The one iguana creature with a staff then charged the hyena and smashed it over the head with its staff. The hyena was easily crushed, causing Gansley to completely fall to his knees again. He sat there, holding his sides as he made painful moans.

"I end my move." Illidan said quietly. (Gansley 1800, Illidan 5400)

"_I really wish this wasn't a Shadow Game. Due that this is part of his Deck Master's abilities is why he suffers so much._"

Slowly, Gansley got up on shaky knees. "Well Mr. Stormrage, I must say you've done well so far. But this is where it stops. Now I summon my powerful worker known as Batteryman AA (0/0) in defense mode." A monster with a battery for a torso then appeared.

"His special effect grants him 1000 extra defense points for every Batteryman AA on the field (0/1000). Next I play the magic card Heart of Clear Water, which equips to my monster. Now he can't be destroyed due to battle. Let's see you get through this." (Gansley 1800, Illidan 5400)

Illidan then drew and chuckled.

"What is so funny Mr. Stormrage?" asked Gansley.

Illidan only replied with "You're finished. Now I return my Sinister Serpent. Next, I sacrifice Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Dark Magician of Chaos, and Jinzo in order to summon the mighty Egyptian God known as Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" Everyone gasped as suddenly all three monsters Illidan sacrificed disappeared. Then the Shadow Realm seemed to grow even darker as a blue light formed behind Illidan. Suddenly, Obelisk appeared, roaring and stretching his arms. The mighty God Card's eyes then glowed red as he looked at Gansley.

"So what Mr. Stormrage? Your monster still can't destroy my monster." stated Gansley.

Illidan only chuckled and said "You're wrong Gansley, cause I'm about to destroy you and your life points. Now I activate Obelisk the Tormentor's special effect. By sacrificing my 2 remaining monsters, I can now obliterate all your monsters and attack you with infinite force. So, I sacrifice The Creator and Tribe-Infecting Virus to Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Obelisk then grabbed both of the 2 monsters. Slowly, he began to absorb their power. Once he had absorbed them both, he roared loudly. He then stretched a hand forward, blasting away Gansley's remaining monster. Then he began building up his energy. Slowly, his color changed to red as energy started growing around his clenched fists. Finally, the attack points of Obelisk started growing. They continued climbing as Obelisk continued to grow redder. At long last, his attack points reached infinite.

"IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" screamed Gansley.

"Now Obelisk the Tormentor, finish this duel by direct attacking his life points with Fist of Fate!" Obelisk then brought forth his fists. Stretching them out, he pointed at Gansley and fired. A huge blast of energy flew from each fist. The 2 blasts then melded into one and became a huge blast. Finally, the blast reached Gansley, hitting him hard and knocking him backwards at least 5 feet. He landed with a huge thud.

Gozaburo then started laughing in his throne. He pointed towards Gansley and said "You've failed Gansley."

Gansley, who was barely aware of things, looked up and said "Please, forgive me and give me another chance Mr. Kaiba!"

Gozaburo let a cruel smile cross his face and then said "No, you failed. Say good bye to this world!" Then the Millennium Crown glowed and dark hands appeared around Gansley. They grabbed him and started pulling him into the darkness of the Shadow Realm. Gansley screamed loudly, but it didn't stop the dark hands. Slowly, he disappeared into the darkness.

Then Gozaburo laughed and nodded to the judge, who was standing there scared witless. "The winner is Illidan Stormrage!" declared the judge in a shaky voice.

Marie yelled down to Illidan "Great job Illidan!" Illidan looked up and smiled back at her. Then the Shadow Realm started slowly disappearing. Marie was fading away like before.

"Remember Marie, I love you!" Illidan called out to her.

She nodded and said "I love you too!" Then she vanished again, just as she had before.

Gozaburo only let loud an evil laughter. "Well Illidan, seems you have defeated that pathetic fool. Tomorrow your next duel shall take place at 8 A.M. Be there or say good bye to your friends forever!" Then he clicked a button on his throne and it started lowering itself into the tower.

Illidan only stared with eyes of determination at Gozaburo as he disappeared. The remaining 4 associates and the judge then stepped on a platform and then they too started to be lowered into the tower.

Only Illidan remained. Illidan turned and headed for the elevator, knowing he had to rest up for the next day.


	117. Chapter 117: Rampage Remembered, Pt 1

**Hey there everyone. I'm glad everyone liked the duel between Illidan and Gansley. Gansley was sort of at a disadvantage due to his Deck Master's ability and the rules of the Shadow Game, but he managed to hang on, for a while, lol. Anyways, I'm glad you all liked it, and I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the duels, as well as the stuff in between. Now, time to get down to answering the reviews.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, his Deck Master's ability did give him an edge, but due to the rules of the Shadow Game, it was a costly edge. Oh, an idea? Feel free to PM it to me if you like.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Lol, it's alright. I understand people have a life outside of the internet. I hope they do at least. But it's all good, so enjoy yourself.**

**CWATZ: Lol, yeah, he hit him hard. I know the feeling about when writing and it feels like it'll never end. Then when you get to the end, you're sad due that you want it to continue on. Oh well, it happens.**

**Fire Princess: You'll figure it out, eventually, lol. In the meantime, don't worry about it too much in here. I understand you so far, so it's all good. Indeed, he'll get tired eventually. What an odd show… Throws straight jackets to the guards. You guys may want to put them all in one. Ryon: "Not me though, due that I'm dark and sexy, right?" Uh, put an extra one on him. Damn, that room has to be getting cramped, unless it's the deluxe suite.**

**Strawberry Cake: Lol, sounds like a good idea about quitting. Too bad I can't quit my current job and take up that other job. Oh well, that'll come one day, I'm sure. And yes, you should have stuck with it rather than sit in a cell with the loonies. Well, Ryon isn't that loony. He reminds me how much fun Bakura was when he was evil. Sighs He made being evil look fun, lol.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Yep, it has to suck for you all. And of course that is my real name Ryou. If it wasn't real, I'd be invisible like you, now wouldn't I? Good job there Ryon.**

**pink-kiss-candy: You could be right about the lineup, although I did spice it up later on. You'll see. He's happy, can't you see the happy face he has? And it could be, or not. After all, he's sealed away. Looks at the Illidan from the story. Right? Story Illidan shrugs. Sigh Good characters that keep track of evil is so hard to find these days.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yep, Gansley played decently. He just didn't anticipate the Shadow Game, which hurt him more than helped. I liked Crump as well, for he was a good wise cracking penguin. That's probably what made people like him so much, other than the fact he was a penguin. But it'll be interesting, that is for sure.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Lol, maybe he wants to take a vacation there. I hear it's nice this time of the year, or so the travel brochure that Ryon gave me said so. Wait, why would he have one? … Oh well, no worries, for now. Ouch, that had to hurt in the duel. I know how it feels when you finally get the upper hand and think you have it won, only to be smacked in the face and end up losing the duel. I used to duel a great deal, but now, meh, due that I write, read, and do many other things, I have no time. I should get back into it though, if I find the time.**

**Well, that's all I have for today. I'll probably post my one-shot for Inuyasha tonight or tomorrow morning. I've yet to decide if I want to post it now or wait till Cindy has proof read it for me. I'll decide, eventually. Later all.**

**Chapter 117**

Once down in his main room, Gozaburo waited for his associates. In all honesty, he had resurrected the Big 5 in order to destroy Illidan, but he had told them one thing.

"IF ANY OF YOU FAIL ME, I GUARANTEE YOU WON'T LIVE LONG!" he had yelled at them once they were all resurrected. They had worriedly nodded then, but the proof wasn't apparent till today when Gansley failed his mission. Now that Gansley had failed, he was pondering if his associates did truly have what it took to take Illidan down. After all, Illidan had made a fool out of Gansley on the dueling field. The idiot had basically kept summoning and setting monsters, kept losing them and feeling the full effects of his Shadow Game, and still didn't manage to make too much of a dent in Illidan.

About this time, his 4 remaining associates walked in. "Crump, I do hope you can take Illidan down tomorrow, for if you fail, your fate will be the same as Gansley's." stated Gozaburo in a grumpy voice.

Crump replied "Don't worry Mr. Kaiba, you can count on me. I'll have Illidan counting forever with my strategy. I'm 99.9 sure I'll win the duel with no problems."

Gozaburo only said "I hope you're right Crump, for if you fail, you know the penalty. I just hope you factored in for the Shadow Game that I have planned."

Crump smirked and replied "Don't worry sir, unlike that fool Gansley, I factored in all variables and even Illidan's new cards. I'll take him down faster than the stock market crash in 1929!"

Gozaburo only shook his head and said "Dismissed." All 4 then left the room.

Back in Illidan's room, Illidan held Obelisk the Tormentor in his hand. He then laid it on the table beside his other 2 God Cards.

"Well, I won today and actually summoned Obelisk, so that was a good start. Now I just have to beat the other 4 that are left, and defeat Gozaburo in order to free the others."

He then stared at the three God Cards lying on the table.

He then remembered the last time he had faced the three in ancient times in Egypt. Slowly, the memories of that clash came back.

Illidan was of the age of 20 at the time. He and Marie had been happily married for almost a year at that time, and their love was quite famous through out Egypt. As agreed, Marie became a part of the Shadow Court, taking up a position amongst the others. Once Illidan had finished teaching Marie, he had taken up the position on the court known as Royal Seal Master. He basically made seals to protect the people from certain things. Mostly, he sealed away an occasional monster that had gotten out of control. As well, he had taken up part time teaching still, and was used as a healer at times as well. Marie had taken up a position as a part time teacher, part time healer, and mostly still helped Yami out with advising. Both were quite the happy pair, and would occasionally disappear during the day. Most knew where they went, but only shrugged it off due that the duties the 2 had to do weren't too important. At times, Yami would gripe, but usually he'd laugh it off.

One day during a session of his court, Yami and the other Shadow Court members found out that an army was invading Egypt. Rather than let this invasion reach Cairo, Yami decided to put an end to it quickly. He ordered Bakura, the new overall general of the Egyptian Army, as well as one of the best healers, to take a battalion out to get rid of these invaders. He told him to do what was necessary, but to offer peace as well for them.

Bakura soon left the capital with his battalion. He journeyed three days to a safe area where there was no chance of losing innocent people. The invading army had to come this route in order to reach main Egypt, so Bakura made camp in this area. Soon enough, the invaders came.

Bakura placed a young commander, whom had an arrogant streak within him, in charge of the front lines. Bakura had faith in the commander, but warned him to be careful and to not use excessive force. The foolish commander ignored Bakura for the most part, for he thought this was a chance to prove how much more worthy of the position of general he was than Bakura.

On the day of the battle, the commander rode to the front lines with orders directly from Bakura to offer peace first, and if that failed, to only engage in battle once attacked. Instead, the foolish commander told his men that he would prove the might of Egypt by crushing the invaders with the true power of Egypt. Foolishly, the commander began to use his Shadow Powers to summon forth the most powerful monster in all of Egypt, The Winged Dragon of Ra. The Egyptian God was called forth and arrived. When Ra arrived, the portal that Ra had been summoned remained open, for the remaining two Egyptian Gods forced it to remain open and came out as well. The commander was nervous, but didn't back down.

When Bakura saw this, he growled in anger, knowing that the commander had more than likely sealed his own fate. This was due that the Gods were so powerful. Only the Shadow Court appeared to have the real strength to summon and control the three Egyptian Gods. Anyone else would normally fail to remain in control. This had been noticed quite a few times by the Shadow Court and Yami had decreed that only the Shadow Court could summon them, but the commander was so arrogant that he ignored even the Pharaoh.

Now the three Gods stood before the invading army. The invaders cowered in fear and began to flee. Bakura sighed with relief that they were, but the commander then ordered Ra to attack the invaders. Ra obeyed and powered up his Blaze Cannon. Then let loose it's devastating attack and wiped out the entire fleeing invaders army.

Bakura yelled "NOOOO!" as he saw the blast wipe out all the invaders. He was furious at the commander and jumped on his horse. He began to ride for the lines when he suddenly saw the three turning towards the Egyptian Army. Halfway to the lines, he stopped, letting his horse canter. Suddenly it hit him.

He gave the order "RETREAT!" None of his men heeded his word though. The commander suddenly realized what the general had. Ra, Obelisk, and Slifer began to power up attacks. Screaming and yelling for the three Gods to return to their realm, the commander was panicking. He continued to try and order them back, attempting to use his Shadow Powers to force them in. Instead, the three Gods closed the portal and then stared down the army.

In the meantime, Bakura had turned his horse and had it at full pace away from the battle. He was sweating, knowing what was about to happen. The attack suddenly came then. Ra let loose it's Blaze Cannon, Obelisk his Fist of Fate, and Slifer his Thunder Force. The entire battalion was wiped out in a single sweep. That blast was so powerful that it knocked Bakura and his horse into the air. They both landed about 100 feet or so away from where they had been. His horse was killed on impact, and Bakura had a broken arm.

Looking back, he suddenly saw the Gods coming. In his weakened state, he'd never be able to quell their rampage, and even at full power, he wouldn't be able to stop them. With full knowledge of what they would attack, he used his Shadow Powers to call forth Archfiend of Gilfer. The monster in red and blue with mighty wings then appeared. Bakura quickly hopped on his back and ordered him to fly as fast as he could to the capital city. With that, the mighty monster flew back towards Cairo with all three Egyptian Gods in hot pursuit.

For nearly three days, Bakura had his Archfiend of Gilfer dodge the attacks that the three Gods would spit at him off and on. Slowly, Bakura got a mile or 2 ahead, but he was losing strength. He finally was reaching a range to which he could contact the Shadow Court members with his mental powers.

About this time, the Shadow Court were relaxing, for the morning courts had ended. Yami and Set were enjoying a Shadow Game. Yami's Dark Magician was fighting it out with Set's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Each were pouring a good bit of power into their monsters, for neither wanted to lose. During the earlier part of the duel, Marie and Illidan had snuck away from watching the battle to their own personal chambers. Pegasus, Gozaburo, and Shadi watched with interest as Set and Yami fought one another with great intensity.

"You're going down this time Yami!" said Set in a happy mood.

"We'll see about that one Set. Now Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" called out Yami.

"Blast his mage with White Lightening Blue-Eyes!" commanded Set to his dragon.

Both monsters let loose their blasts at the same time. Both blasts met one another in the middle of the field. Their blasts seemed to stay at a stalemate once there. Neither Yami nor Set seemed to have the upper hand when their monsters' blasts met. Both kept adding more and more power to their monsters, for neither duelist wanted to give up.

Suddenly in the middle, Yami received a mental communication from Bakura.

"Set, we need to stop. Bakura is contacting me telepathically." called out Yami.

Set immediately halted his Shadow Powers as Yami did the same. Both their monsters then disappeared from the field and the darkness of the Shadow Game dissipated. The three watchers then came over to see what the message was.

"_Bakura, I'm here. Is the battle over already?_" asked Yami curiously back through the mental channel.

He heard Bakura chuckle and him reply with "_Yes, it is, in a way._"

Yami only frowned and asked "_What is so funny?_"

Bakura then replied "_It's over, but we have a bigger problem. You see, I sent the young commander that I had under me to the front lines to lead the army. Well, foolishly, he tried to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra._"

Yami only gasped at the name of Ra. "_What happened?_" he asked with concern in his voice.

Bakura began again with "_Well, when he summoned Ra, both Slifer and Obelisk came on through the portal with him. That fool of a commander ignored that they had come through and thought he still had control. The invaders turned and started to run, but the idiot ordered Ra to blast them. I rode towards the front lines as fast as I could to stop it, but it was too late. Ra obliterated the entire invading force in one blast._"

Yami winced slightly, for he wanted no bloodshed for no real reason. They were retreating after all, for that was enough to end the battle. "_Go on._" Yami finally replied.

Bakura continued then, saying "_Well, I was half way when I suddenly saw Ra and the other two turn towards the army. I knew the look they had was one of destruction. So, I stopped my horse and changed directions. Before I left, I ordered a retreat. The men disbelieved me. To make matters worse, that foolish commander only advised the men to celebrate their great victory. The three Gods then powered up. That foolish commander attempted to send them back to their realm, but it was too late. The Gods crushed the entire army with a blast each. Me and my horse were thrown about a 100 feet or so from the blast. When I got up, I saw the devastation. Not one man survived. I then saw the three coming onwards. I quickly mounted Archfiend of Gilfer and started running towards Cairo. I was careful to miss any villages along the way. Now the three continue to pursue me. They're coming, and they are in the mood for destruction. You all have to stop them!_"

Yami slightly frowned, for he knew this was a difficult task. "_We'll be ready when you arrive. How far are you?_" he called back to Bakura.

Bakura then replied "_About an hour or so. I have a mile or 2 advantage on the God's for now, so we'd have a few minutes before they arrive. That is if they don't blast me first. They keep firing a blast or 2 at me once and a while. I guess taking shots to try and get rid of me. Anyways, I'd say you have an hour. Unfortunately, I can't fight due to my broken arm, not to mention I'm a good deal dizzy as is. I'd say I have a concussion or something else._"

Yami nodded slowly and replied "_Just get here in one piece. We'll be at the gates when you arrive. Make it safe my friend._"

Bakura replied back "_I'll try to._" Yami and Bakura then severed their talk and Yami looked at his Shadow Court.

"The Gods are coming." he said in a serious tone. All four seemed shocked.

"You mean our Egyptian Gods?" blurted out Set.

Yami only nodded.

"This is bad Pharaoh, for I doubt all of us can hold them back." said a nervous Pegasus.

"What do you suggest we do then Pegasus?" asked Yami in an irritated voice.

"Well, I'm not sure." Pegasus slowly replied.

"There is no time to evacuate the city. We must stop them." Shadi said slowly.

Yami nodded, saying "I agree. We must put this rampage to rest now before Egypt is left in ruins."

All nodded in agreement.

Yami then said "All four of you, prepare to move out to the north gates. The Gods will be here in the hour. We must be ready to intercept them so that they don't go into the city. We will devise a strategy on the way."

All nodded in agreement once more.

Then Set asked Yami "What about Illidan and Marie?"

Yami then looked towards the inner palace. Quickly, he said "I'll go get them. You must all hurry to the northern gates though. Meet at the main one. Now hurry!"

All then went their own ways. Yami ran into the palace, hurrying towards Illidan and Marie's chamber. Once there, he banged on the door.

Inside, Illidan and Marie laid in bed, wrapped in one another's arms while under a sheet. Illidan stirred slightly at the banging, but ignored it.

Another large banging came, causing Illidan to say "GO AWAY!"

A third one came and again, Illidan ignored it. The next one though he couldn't ignore. The door was blown right off it's hinges. There stood Yami with his hand stretched out. He had used a huge blast of Shadow Magic to just simply knock the door off it's hinges.

Marie woke up and pulled the sheets closer to herself. Illidan remained covered, but was now was showing his bare chest. Yami then averted his eyes, trying not to see anything. Even though they had a sheet, sheets were made up of such thin cloth.

"If you two are done rolling around in the sheets, we have real work to do!" yelled Yami in an irritated, yet angry voice.

"What is it that was so important to blast our door off the hinges?" asked an angry Illidan.

"The three Egyptian Gods are nearing the city. The fool of a commander of the army summoned Ra and the other two followed out. He lost control, and now they're on a rampage. They followed Bakura all the way back here. I'll leave you to dress, but hurry up so we can stop them!"


	118. Chapter 118: Rampage Remembered, Pt 2

**Hello once more everyone. I'm glad you all liked the first chapter of the rampage of the three Egyptian Gods. It was something I came up with when I started thinking about how to tie in why Slifer and Obelisk were in stone during that vision in Battle City. Odd thing is, I can't figure out now after the end of the show how that even tied in really with the story line. Oh well, I still did it and it's too little too late to worry about that. At that, time to answer some reviews.**

**CWATZ: Yes, it is, lol. Rampage of doom it could be.**

**Isis the Sphinx: What, would you get up from the company of the one you love just to go see what the hell Yami wanted? Hell no, you lay in the bed and ignore him, lol. As for the duel, well… I, uh, haven't had a tremendous amount of time, sadly. I do have tomorrow evening free, at last, so I may get to it then, if not Thursday. Don't worry, I'll try to work on it, so hang in there.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yes, it's another flashback! Deal with it! I'm kidding, lol. But seriously, I thought I'd fill in on his past. You know, I kind of threw the fact out that he was in the past, as well as Marie and the others, and I had to kind of tie them all in together, somehow or another. Yes, Crump will be counting down till his time to duel, I'm quite sure. I'm sure they'll be fine as well. Hears one scream "Help!" Yep, they'll be just fine.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Ryon is a sick person, if not demented. But that's a good set of qualities to have sometimes. Well, good if you're evil I guess. Hey, if he's not human, could he be a fellow half demon? Nah, doubtful. Looks over contract also. Says here you sign your soul over to the possession of one Ryon by signing this contract. Hmm, and the fine print says something about being his slave for all eternity, etc, etc. Sounds like a good deal for you.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Someday, someday. Lol, I kind of forgot about that card originally when I wrote these chapters. It was hilarious when Cindy reminded me about it, and I was like, oh… But yes, it was Ryou. I have documented evidence that it was. Pulls out hidden camera from wall and rewinds it to time of crime. See, there is Ryou drawing mustaches on you, not Ryon. Ryou: "THAT'S NOT ME THOUGH! LOOK AT THE EVIL GRIN, AND LISTEN TO THE EVIL LAUGHTER!" Turns up sound and listens to the evil laughter. Hmm, this looks like a case for Sherlock Holmes, or better yet, that Case Closed kid. Too bad both are too expensive, so you're obviously guilty Ryou. Handcuffs him and ties him to wall. Be a good boy and stay there.**

**Strawberry Cake: Possibly, but he has a strategy. You'll see it soon enough. Looks at book and prepares to open it, but gets smacked in the back of the head instead by Cindy. What, I was just looking? Sigh**

**Fire Princess: Indeed he is, lol. And yay, great English!**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks, and I'll definitely keep updating daily.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Indeed, we do hear that story. It's interesting, lol. A stupid commander did something stupid. Now, wasn't that fun, lol. At least they were resting at that moment when Yami broke down the door. Could have been worse… If you can't PM it, just feel free to email it to me. My email is that's all for me tonight. I feel so much better today. I finally got to see my Inuyasha movie I just bought Saturday. It's the fourth one, and it was great! I so can't wait till the Fullmetal Alchemist movie comes out. That one I'm dying to see, just due that I really got into the series. It'll be here by the end of September, so I heard. I hope that's right. It should be, seeing how the same place told me the fourth Inuyasha movie was due to come out the first of August. True, it's a week or so early, but it's great that it came out slightly earlier. It makes me get even more and more excited about Fullmetal Alchemist's movie.**

**Anyways, enough about that. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Later all.**

**Chapter 118**

After Yami had left them to dress, Illidan and Marie had quickly put their clothes on and then ran out to meet Yami in the stables. There he sat on Fruity, ready to go. Illidan helped Marie mount Stormy before he hopped on himself.

The three then raced quickly through the city. Normally, they might have ridden a monster, but since they would need all their strength for the battle, they were taking no chances in wasting even the littlest amount of power. Marie held tightly to Illidan's back as he ran Stormy hard through the streets. Yami did the same to Fruity. Soon, they arrived at the gates.

They could already see the Egyptian Gods forms appearing, and ahead of them was a small dot that was slowly getting bigger. They quickly determined that it was Bakura racing towards them.

The plan was once he got to the city, Marie would take him into the city to a safe area in order to heal him. Meanwhile, the others would race forward as far as they could and make an appeal to the Gods. If that didn't calm their wrath, they'd fight till the Gods were calmed.

Soon enough, Bakura appeared. He was extremely weak. Using his Shadow Powers to maintain Archfiend of Gilfer was draining him, but his broken arm and concussion were worse. Slowly, he continued to move towards the others. Once he was nearly in front of them, he passed out and let Archfiend of Gilfer dissipate. He fell to the ground with a huge thud.

Illidan and Set helped their fallen friend up quickly. Marie was still mounted on Stormy, so Illidan and Set helped mount Bakura.

Once they did, Illidan told Marie "Get as far back as you can. Heal him as best you can. And please, do not come to join us. If you do, I fear something may happen to you. Remember, I love you."

She had a look of shock on her face, but Illidan didn't care. He couldn't risk losing her to an attack from the Gods. He then smacked Stormy on the rear, causing him to race off into the city. He watched as his faithful horse carried Marie away from the danger that was lurking outside the city.

He then turned back and began to walk forward with the others. About a mile from the city, the three Gods stopped. They saw the six figures walking towards them.

Ra then roared out orders. Obelisk suddenly took towards the western part of the city. Then Slifer took towards the eastern part. Finally, Ra moved forward still towards the northern end.

"They've split up!" yelled Yami.

"What now Pharaoh?" asked Gozaburo.

"Set, you and Pegasus stop Obelisk!" ordered Yami. Set and Pegasus then started running towards the western edge of the city.

"Gozaburo and Shadi, put Slifer down!" ordered Yami again. Both nodded and ran towards the large red dragon.

"Illidan, me and you are going to put Ra out of commission together." He said finally. Illidan nodded. This made sense for him and Yami to pair up. After all, Yami was the strongest of the group, while Illidan was second strongest.

Meanwhile, Marie steered Stormy through the main city. Finally, she found a small area where she could stop to heal Bakura, for he wouldn't make it to the palace. She had Stormy lay down and then gently lifted Bakura off of Stormy. Slowly, she laid him down on the ground so that he was completely flat. He seemed to wince in pain as she had set him down, telling the tell tale signs of internal injuries. She was the second strongest healer in Egypt, of course only after Bakura. She began pouring her healing powers onto Bakura. Slowly, his wounds were healed on the outside. She concentrated on internal injuries as well, being careful to continue healing him till she was sure he was fine.

While she continued to heal Bakura, she silently said "Darn you Illidan! I wanted to help, not be protected like a defenseless child…"

Back out on the western side of the city, Obelisk neared. As he neared, he suddenly saw 2 men appear ahead of him. He roared at the two, trying hard to instill fear. Set only stood his ground as Pegasus hilariously stood behind him.

"What are you doing Pegasus?" asked Set in an annoyed voice.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought I'd let you face Obelisk face to face." replied Pegasus in a semi humorous voice.

Set only shook his head. Obelisk only growled at the two for this semi humorous situation.

"Obelisk the Tormentor, I implore you to return to your realm. Please, the people of Egypt do no wish to bring your wrath upon themselves. Please, return to your realm and spare the people of this world." asked Set in a humbled voice. Set was many things, but humble wasn't one of them.

Obelisk only roared at the request and powered up his right fist. He then threw his famous attack, Fist of Fate, at Set and Pegasus.

Pegasus cried out "BAD DAY, BAD DAY, BAD DAY!" He was humorously dancing around as he said this as well, making the blast seem that much worse.

As the blast neared, Set then spread his arms. With all his strength, he created a barrier. Pegasus stopped dancing long enough to help strengthen the barrier. The blast hit the barrier. For a moment, it appeared it was going to crush the small dome, but finally, the dome pushed the blast away into the air. Finally, the blast came flying back down, striking a part of the city. Set only growled, knowing that deflecting the blast was a horrible mistake.

"Alright, if the Egyptian God Obelisk the Tormentor won't listen to reason, then maybe you'll listen to my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" Suddenly the Shadow Magic within Set poured out. All three of his magnificent dragons then appeared, each roaring one after another at Obelisk.

Pegasus then said "Come forth Big Shield Guardna!" A warrior wielding a huge shield then appeared in front of Pegasus.

Pegasus then humorously hid behind his newly summoned monster. Set only looked at Pegasus, who smiled and waved. If not for the fact they were facing an Egyptian God, Set would have had Blue-Eyes blast Pegasus and his pathetic monster into the next life time. Instead of worrying about Pegasus, he turned towards Obelisk.

Set was worried that his three Blue-Eyes didn't have the strength to beat Obelisk, but he had to try. After all, those three were his best monsters.

"BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGONS, ATTACK OBELISK WITH WHITE LIGHTENING!" he screamed out.

All three dragons then let loose their attacks. Obelisk seemed to laugh, but it came out as a roar. He smacked the first dragon's blast with his fist, knocking it back into the city, causing a massive explosion. The next blast, Obelisk knocked away behind himself with ease. The last blast was canceled out within his palm.

Set only stared in disbelief. "Impossible!" he said in shock.

Obelisk then brought back his arms and fired a double Fist of Fate at Set and his dragons.

"BIG SHIELD GUARDNA, INTERCEPT HIS ATTACK!" ordered Pegasus. The huge warrior jumped in front of the blasts and took the double shot. He was easily blown away.

Pegasus growled and yelled "Come forth Dreamsprite!" A small blue skinned pixie then appeared. She had orange hair and looked rather weak.

"DREAMSPRITE, REDIRECT THE ATTACK TO THE SKY!" commanded Pegasus. The blast hit the sprite, but she easily sent it flying into the sky. The sprite then disappeared. Pegasus soon fell to the ground, breathing hard.

"PEGASUS!" cried out Set.

"Worry not about me Set. Finish the job. I don't have the energy to continue on. Take him down!" called out Pegasus.

Set bit his lip, for he knew he had to. He then walked towards his dragons. He knew all three combined weren't enough to win. So, he knew one last thing to do.

"Now I fuse together my three dragons together! Form together to become Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

The three dragons let out a roar. Then all three began to swirl together. Lightening flashed and a new dragon appeared. It had three heads and a huge body. It let loose a mighty roar at Obelisk.

Set had used so much energy to form his dragon that he was worried now that he wouldn't be able to call out the attack. He then realized what was on the line, and gave his orders.

"BLUE-EYES ULTMATE DRAGON, ATTACK OBELISK WITH NEUTRON BLAST!"

The three dragon heads then began to build up their energy. Each opened their mouths and finally fired a mighty blast simultaneously at Obelisk. The blasts melded into one and hit the mighty God with full force. Obelisk cried out in pain, for his strength was being outmatched by a single powerful dragon. It roared for what seemed an eternity till the blast went through his body. The mighty Egyptian God then glowed and exploded.

Set barely remained standing and let loose a laugh. "So much for Obelisk the Tormentor…" with that, he fell over, hitting the ground hard. He laid there laughing, knowing that the battle was far from over for the others.

On the eastern side of the city, Slifer slowly flew towards the gates. Gozaburo and Shadi quickly headed him off.

Shadi called out to the great dragon, saying "Slifer the Sky Dragon, I humbly ask you to spare the city and return yourself to your own realm. There is no need to prove your might, for the people of Egypt worship your strength."

Slifer only retorted with a mighty roar and continued on. Shadi only sighed and looked up at Gozaburo. Gozaburo nodded and together they moved back in front of Slifer.

"We cannot allow you to destroy this city. We will fight you to the end if we need to." cried out Gozaburo.

Slifer was now angry and turned towards the two. He was preparing to fire a blast when Gozaburo decided it was time to call forth his monster.

Drawing up his strength, he called out "Come forth Exodia Necross!" A huge monster then appeared. It was black and looked very much like the legendary monster known as Exodia. Unlike Exodia though, this one was black and was far weaker than it's namesake.

Slifer stopped it's main attack and then opened it's second set of jaws. It let loose a blast of energy, attempting to blast Exodia Necross. Shadi ran forward and created a small barrier to protect the large black monster. The blast hit his barrier and grazed off it. The blast then easily went into the city, where a huge explosion took place.

Shadi cried out "NOOOO!" The devastation by the blast was minimal, but still, he had knocked the shot into the city onto innocent people.

"Shadi, I won't be able to keep this up for too long, so you'll have to help by giving me what energy you can." called out Gozaburo to Shadi. Shadi slowly nodded moved in front of Gozaburo. He then started giving what energy he could to Gozaburo to help strengthen Exodia Necross. Slowly, the large black monster glowed as his power rose.

Slifer saw that the large monster was growing and strength and attacked it with his Thunder Force. A huge blast of energy came from his main jaws and struck the powerful Exodia Necross. Gozaburo screamed out in pain, for he felt the difference in Exodia Necross and Slifer's power. Shadi was quick to give what energy he could to help Gozaburo out though. As the smoke cleared from the blast that Exodia Necross had received, Slifer saw that the huge monster remained.

Roaring, Slifer fired yet another Thunder Force at the large black monster. Again, the blast found it's target, causing Gozaburo to scream out in more pain. He went to one knee and nearly lost focus on Exodia Necross. Shadi felt Gozaburo losing focus and poured his power into him. Gozaburo regained focus and stood back up, powering up Exodia Necross even further. Slowly, the powerful black monster was getting stronger and stronger than Slifer.

Slifer roared in anger when he saw that Exodia Necross remained standing and fired yet another Thunder Force. The blast struck Exodia Necross once again, causing great strain on Gozaburo. He screamed out in pain as he went down to his knees, desperately trying to hold on to his focus on Exodia Necross. Shadi then gave Gozaburo a great deal of his energy, causing him to slowly stand. The pain was subsiding, but it was still there. Slowly, Gozaburo stood again, causing Exodia Necross's power to rise once again.

As before, Slifer only growled in anger. The Egyptian God was thoroughly frustrated by these two and decided to end this little charade. Slifer then powered up and shot it's strongest Thunder Force at Exodia Necross. Gozaburo saw it coming and knew this one might finish him off. About that time, Shadi decided he had no choice but to give all his power to Gozaburo. He sent a huge wave of it to Gozaburo, causing Gozaburo's strength to grow quite largely. Gozaburo then watched as Exodia Necross's power responded to his new strength as well.

"EXODIA NECROSS, ATTACK SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON WITH OBLITERATION PUNCH!" cried out Gozaburo.

Exodia Necross then growled and punched his fist through Slifer's Thunder Force. Slifer was shocked as the blast was dissipated and Exodia Necross charged him with his fist out in front of him. The large black monster then struck the mighty dragon with his fist, letting loose all his energy. Gozaburo screamed as he poured all his energy into his monster. Exodia Necross then attack then fully pierced Slifer, causing the mighty dragon to fall to the ground and scream in pain. Finally, the dragon disappeared.

Gozaburo laughed as his eyes glazed over. Before falling, he sent Exodia Necross back to his realm and then passed out.

Shadi dragged himself over to check on Gozaburo. Luckily, he had just exhausted his Shadow Powers, much like Shadi. He then lay down on his back, staring up at the sun.

"I only hope that all goes well in your fight with Ra, my Pharaoh." he said softly before he too passed out from exhaustion.


	119. Chapter 119: Rampage Remembered, Pt 3

**Hello everyone. Wow, I nearly have 400 reviews, plus I have 18 people on my favorites list! I'm shocked to see the # of reviews, but in the last week or 2, I've had more people add me to favorites, which just kind of shocks me more than anything. You guys are great! And because you all are so great, I'm going to post 2 chapters today. Really though, thank you all for all the reviews. They help me so much, and make me want to continue writing for a very long time. Hopefully, soon, I'll get back on writing. I did finish my Inuyasha one-shot this week, so that's a bit of progress, although the one-shot I have in the works and my final sequel have been at a dead stop. Oh well, I'll get to them soon, plus I'm planning on writing Isis's chapter. Not to mention, I have tons of reading to catch up on. Thankfully, I'll be free this weekend, so I'll get caught up, I hope…**

**At any rate, thanks everyone for all your reviews, and to those who don't, don't feel shy about reviewing. I know sometimes I won't just due that I don't have time or want to really comment. Either way, it's alright, but I encourage anyone and everyone who reads this to post a review. Without further ado though, time to answer some reviews.**

**CWATZ: Yep, the story only gets better and better, at least I hope it does, lol.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Yeah, two down, one to go. It's hard to tell how well those two will fare against Ra. After all, Ra was the strongest Egyptian God, while Illidan and Yami were the strongest Shadow Court members (Yami was stronger than Illidan of course). We'll see though.**

**Isis the Sphinx: I'll try and get it up this weekend. Since I'm going to be home, I might get time at long last to write. If I do, I'll work on your chapter first, then work on some other stuff of mine. Who is this one though you speak of?**

**Ryon Nakura: AH! Wait, why am I scared of you? Shrugs Just a natural reaction I guess. But welcome, and make sure to take care of the girls. Just don't get any blood on the floor. It's so hard to find good carpet cleaners these days.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, world dom… peace I mean, yeah, that sounds like something I could get on board with. Unfortunately, I won't sign any contracts either. It's in my contract for being a half demon. Sniffs air. Oh, that fishy smell is Ryou's dinner.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Pokes Ryou with stick Quiet you. No one likes a crybaby. Oh, btw, Ryon, if you're going to kill everything, please make sure to clean your mess up. That's the only rule to staying in the cell. Hears Ryon grumbling. Crackles claws in response to mumbling. Did you just grumble about some damn half demon? Ryon: Shakes head. Good boy. Better not… Oh yeah, and no Ryou, you can't have a separate cell. That costs extra, and well, I'm cheap, lol. Besides it's more entertaining to watch you being punished.**

**Strawberry Cake: I'd have guessed porn too. Finds it under the other magazine. Interesting collection Ryon… It's a bunch of naked dead girls. Ok, that's just creepy man. Ryon takes magazine and goes to corner. Ryon: "I just read it for the articles." Yeah…**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, it's a stretch. Cindy is going to show more of his true self in her story, but for the most part, this was just him having to help save Egypt. He didn't have much choice, now did he, lol. Yes, Pegasus was just the comic act of the chapter. I think I was watching Jacky Chan Adventures when I wrote this chapter, and just thought, what the hell, let's make Pegasus have a bad day. As for the toons, yeah, due that they weren't around in ancient times, I didn't use them. Indeed, Ra could be the one left to take everyone down. I'll try to get to reviewing your chapters this weekend. Hopefully I'll finally get to it.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Thanks for the idea. I had thought of that one, but was like, nah, been done kind of. But yeah, poor Bakura, he got pretty banged up. Obviously due that he's in the final battle with Gozaburo over the crown, he makes it. Lol, yeah, I was going for a little laughter there with Pegasus. As you saw in Cindy's story, it's one of the best ways to fool your enemies.**

**Ok, that's all of them for the day. If anyone else reading would like me to answer questions they have or just wish to comment, please feel free to review. I always enjoy reviews. In case anyone is interested also, I'm posting my Inuyasha one-shot, title _Why is it_ also today. I think it turned out good, so anyone interested, go ahead and check it out. Well, that's it for me, so everyone enjoy the two chapters. Later.**

**Chapter 119**

At the northern end of the city, Ra stared down the Pharaoh and Illidan. He let loose a mighty roar, trying to show he had no intentions of stopping his rampage.

Yami humbly bowed and said to Ra "Please mighty God, I ask you to spare my people, for they love all that you do for them. Please, stop your rampage and return to your realm. I wish not to fight with you, for only more destruction will ensue." Ra only ignored him and ignited his Blaze Cannon. He then fired upon Illidan and Yami.

"I'll take that as a 'No thanks, I'd rather kill you' roar." said Illidan in a joking matter.

Him and Yami together put up a barrier as the blast neared. The blast struck their barrier hard. Illidan was pouring a great deal of strength into the barrier, as was Yami. Finally, together, they knocked the blast off the barrier. The blast was sent flying into the air, but it came back down upon the palace within the city. About half of the palace was blown away by the force of the blast. Yami stood there, shocked and awestruck.

"Ok, that was not easy to deflect." commented Illidan.

Yami only looked at him with a look of sorrow on his face. "All those people within the palace had no where to go…" he said sadly to Illidan.

"I know… but we can't focus on them now. We have to put Ra down and fast." he replied to his friend.

Yami nodded and turned back towards the mighty Egyptian God.

"Any ideas Illidan?" asked Yami.

"Fight really hard and hope we live to tell about it is my only guess." replied Illidan with a half smile.

Yami only smiled at the comment and then decided he had to summon his best monsters.

"I summon forth my Dark Magician, Buster Blader, and Black Luster Soldier!" cried out the Pharaoh. His mage in purple robes arrived first, followed by a warrior in purple that wielded a mighty sword, and finally a mighty warrior with black armor and a powerful shield and sword.

"I call my Dark Magician of Chaos, Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End, and Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning to me now!" called out Illidan. His mighty mage clad in tight fighting black armor appeared first, followed by a powerful black dragon, and finally his powerful warrior in black armor that shined greatly with a mighty sword and shield.

"We have to hit him hard and fast Yami, or else we'll easily be overwhelmed." Illidan said calmly to his friend.

Yami nodded and called out to his monsters his orders. "Dark Magician, attack with Dark Magic Attack! Buster Blader, attack with Dragon Sword Slash! Black Luster Soldier, attack with Luster Sword Slash!"

As Yami's monsters began their attack, Illidan called his orders to his monsters. "Dark Magician of Chaos, attack with Chaos Scepter Blast! Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack with your Chaos Blaster! Black Luster Soldier, attack with Chaos Sword Slash!"

All three of his monsters headed towards Ra to carry out his orders. The first monsters to strike at Ra were Chaos Emperor Dragon, Dark Magician of Chaos, and Dark Magician. Both magicians fired their powerful blasts of magical energy at the Egyptian God while the mighty black dragon let loose a powerful blast of dark energy. The three blasts were easily knocked away by Ra though.

Buster Blader, Black Luster Soldier, and Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning, continued on and attempted to strike Ra with their swords. Ra dodged all three and backed up. Ra then let loose its Blaze Cannon once again, easily blowing up the three warriors that had charged him. Illidan and Yami watched in horror as all three of the warriors were easily taken down.

Growling, Illidan turned to Yami. "I have an idea. Distract Ra long enough for me to activate my Chaos Emperor Dragon's special effect. Once he uses Infinite Blaster, Ra will be gone, and it should be over."

Yami nodded and said "I'll provide as much cover fire and time as I can. Just make it fast."

Illidan nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating on his dragon. Slowly, he began activating the monster's hidden power. The dragon began to slightly growl and slowly glow with power. Illidan continued to transfer energy in order to power his dragon up.

In the meantime, Yami ordered his Dark Magician to blast Ra again. He was careful to have his mage to stay far away from Ra, but to watch for any signs of Ra's Blaze Cannon. The Egyptian God only growled as the mage continued to pretty much dance around him, careful not to stay in one place for too long. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw the black dragon glowing.

Illidan then opened his eyes and gave his orders. "Chaos Emperor Dragon, use Infinite Blaster on Ra now!"

The dragon quickly flew straight at Ra. As it neared, Ra turned towards it. Waves of heat then began to appear around Ra. Illidan and Yami stood there, pondering what it meant. Suddenly, it hit both as Illidan's dragon grabbed onto Ra. In a blast of flames, Ra caught fire.

"NOOO!" both cried out, realizing what Ra was up to.

Ra then lost its familiar face. The metallic armor covering it disappeared and a great phoenix appeared. Illidan's dragon was easily blown away. Ra had transformed into Egyptian God Phoenix. It roared at both Illidan and Yami, who was terribly afraid now. Ra let loose a huge flaming blast from its mouth, easily wiping out Dark Magician. Yami grabbed his chest as the loss of his monster weakened him.

Illidan only stood there, knowing all was lost now. Once Ra had changed into Egyptian God Phoenix, nothing could stop it. Ra roared at Illidan's remaining monster and spat yet another blast of fire at it. Illidan's mage was easily destroyed, causing Illidan to go down to his knees. Both Illidan and Yami were now wide open.

Ra roared and spat yet another fire ball. This one was aimed for Illidan and Yami. Putting his pain aside, Illidan stood up. Yami did the same and prepared to put up a barrier.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY YAMI!" Illidan screamed as he threw Yami out of the way.

Illidan then brought forth his power and summoned the monster known as Millennium Shield. It appeared in front of him. It was the only thing Illidan could think to do in order to stop the blast. Yami watched in horror as Illidan's monster was struck by the blast.

"ILLIDAN!" he screamed in horror as his friend's monster was crushed and the blast encircled Illidan.

Illidan protected himself with a barrier, but he disappeared within the blast. When the blast was over and the smoke cleared, Illidan lay on the ground. He lay there, in great pain. It had taken all he had to protect himself from being incinerated by the blast.

"I'm so sorry Marie… I love you." were the last things he said before he lost consciousness.

Back where Marie was tending to Bakura's wounds, she suddenly felt something in her heart sort of break, like her link with Illidan had been cut off. There were few things that could do this. One was Illidan was knocked unconscious, and two was Illidan had died. She looked towards the northern part of town where Egyptian Phoenix God was.

"Oh no!" she said in a gasp. "I'm sorry Bakura, but I have to go to Illidan and Yami. You should be well enough to survive. Forgive me for having to leave you." she said as she quickly grabbed Stormy's reins.

She then had Stormy run at full pace towards the northern part of the city, praying she wasn't too late.

"Please be alive!" she said sadly to herself.

In front of Egyptian Phoenix Ra, Yami stood defiant. Luckily for him, Ra couldn't maintain his phoenix form no longer and returned to his normal metallic look. Yami only stared at the God, for he had not nearly the strength to defeat the powerful Egyptian God.

Ra seemed to only stare a hole through Yami. Finally, Ra decided it had had enough of staring. Ra then ignited its Blaze Cannon and fired at Yami.

Yami then cried out "Come forth Kuriboh and protect me!"

Kuriboh then appeared. Once out, he began to multiply into many, till a wall of Kuriboh's protected the Pharaoh. The blast hit the wall hard, but the wall held. Once the blast was over, all the Kuriboh's disappeared.

Yami was on his knees, for it had taken everything to put up the wall to protect himself. He was spent and about to pay for using all his power. He stared at Illidan's unconscious body and sighed.

"I'm sorry Illidan that I couldn't protect you from Ra. I can only hope Marie can forgive us both for not being here." he said sadly.

Ra powered up again and ignited his Blaze Cannon yet again.

About this time, Yami heard hoofs thundering towards them. He looked back to see Stormy, Illidan's horse, being ridden by Marie. She quickly arrived as the blast was let loose by Ra.

She quickly jumped off of Stormy and put up a barrier to protect herself, Illidan, and Yami. The blast hit, causing her to scream as she struggled to hold up the barrier.

"HE'S TOO POWERFUL FOR YOU MARIE!" cried out Yami.

She only ignored him and poured out more power. Finally, the blast skidded off of her barrier and towards the city. It smashed the front gates easily and only blew away a few homes near the gates.

Marie was exhausted due to the blast. She was breathing heavily, trying desperately to catch her breath. She looked up to see Ra roaring and powering up his Blaze Cannon yet again.

Looking over, she saw Yami was too exhausted to even summon a monster or create a barrier.

She then looked over at Illidan, who was face down on the ground. He was either dead or knocked out, but she couldn't tell which due that she was too far away.

"Illidan…" she softly whispered to herself. Tears formed in her eyes, for the man she loved was more than likely dead. This triggered something within her. A great power began to awaken within her like it had the day of her final test where Illidan had fought so hard to keep her from joining the council. She glared up at Ra with a look of defiance on her face.

"YOU DID THIS TO HIM! I'LL DESTROY YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL FOR THAT!" she screamed angrily at Ra.

Ra roared and then fired it's blast at Marie, but she put up a barrier. This barrier, unlike the other, was much stronger than any of the other barriers that had been erected that day. The blast hit, but bounced off back at Ra. The mighty god was struck by his own blast, causing him to cry out in pain. Marie then glared again at the dragon and brought more of her power forth.

"TYRANT DRAGON, COME FORTH!" she cried out. Her mighty orange dragon then appeared, roaring at the powerful Ra.

"BLAST RA WITH YOUR TYRANT FLAME!" she ordered.

Her dragon didn't hesitate one bit and let loose a huge stream of flaming energy. The energy struck Ra, which was already weak due to being hit by his own blast. The new blast from Tyrant Dragon caused Ra to scream in pain. Soon enough, Ra exploded into a million pieces, causing the rampage of the three gods to end.

Marie only stood there, still using her great power. She then sent her dragon back to it's realm and walked over to Illidan and Yami. With her awesome power, she fully revived Yami's strength.

As she walked towards Illidan though, her power weakened greatly. Then suddenly, it left her. The uncontrollable strength fled from her. This caused her to revert to her normal power level, but due that she'd used so much energy, she was exhausted. She fell over beside Illidan rather than try to help him. Before she lost consciousness, she took her hand and placed it in his. She smiled and then fell into a deep sleep.

Yami sighed and then loaded the two onto Stormy, and then slowly returned to the city. One by one, he gathered all the members of his Shadow Court and took them to the palace for recovery. Most of them recovered within a day or two. Luckily, none of them had been injured too greatly.

Bakura had recovered that night thanks to Marie and helped heal the others.

Illidan and Marie took the longest to recover though. Due that Illidan had given his all against Ra's phoenix form, he had been drained completely. Marie on the other hand had spent all her awesome power against Ra, easily draining her normal strength.

Illidan recovered first, surprisingly. Marie recovered a few days later. He had spent every minute by her side during that time. He never left her, even when Yami had beckoned him to. Once both had fully recovered, things resumed, and the damage was assessed.

In all, the three gods rampage had cost Egypt a battalion of soldiers, half of the palace, and at least 1000 innocent people. This was grave news for Egypt was hard for the Shadow Court to handle. It was then that Illidan made a motion.

"Yami, to keep this tragedy from ever happening again, I move to seal away the Egyptian Gods. They're far too dangerous to leave loose." he boldly said in one of the meetings for the Shadow Court.

Set seconded him, as well as Bakura going with the motion.

Yami finally replied "I agree. We love our beloved gods, but they are far too dangerous to be summoned. Thus we must seal them away."

And so it was done. The three were summoned one last time and sealed away in stone. Obelisk and Slifer were nearly side by side when sealed in stone. Ra tried to escape, but it was impossible due that the Pharaoh had control of him. He was sealed away in stone as well not long afterwards.

With the three Egyptian Gods sealed away, all was thought to be well again, but it wasn't. All of the Shadow Court knew that this rampage had proved yet another aspect about Egypt's people. That was that the Shadow Powers were growing too dangerous for all the people to have.


	120. Chapter 120: Frozen Math, Pt 1

**Chapter 120**

The Shadow Court had sealed away all three Egyptian Gods to protect Egypt, but that had only been the beginning. Soon after, the Shadow Court had finally decided that the Shadow Magic was far too powerful to be left unchecked in Egypt. That was when the Millennium Items had been decided to be created.

Illidan only sighed, knowing that the creation of the Millennium Items had sparked much turmoil within Egypt, but in the end, it was for the best. He then decided he'd had enough remembering of the so called good old days and looked down at the table.

The three Egyptian God Cards were his for now, and he'd use them to save his friends. Illidan then decided it was time to eat and get ready for bed, seeing how he had another long day of dueling ahead.

In the morning, he woke up in a sweat as usual. He had dreamed about Marie again. This time he had dreamed of Marie being destroyed by his own hands. He had literally destroyed her by banishing her to the Shadow Realm. He shook this off and quickly took a shower and readied himself for his duel. He checked his deck first to make sure it was ready. Once satisfied, he ate some waffles for breakfast. He then quickly checked out the tournament site to see if anything had been said about the tournament. The only thing listed was he had a duel today against an associate. "_Gee, thanks Gozaburo. Making sure I can't decide how to duel a person I guess._" Deciding he wouldn't get anything else, he looked at the time quickly. It was already 7:30 A.M., so he had to get ready to go. Quickly sliding his Duel Disk on and putting his deck in it's holder, he headed towards the elevator.

Again, like before, no one was there. The tower was so eerie without anyone truly in it. Illidan decided to go on up to the top since no one was going to be around to ride up. He quickly rode up to the top.

Once there, he saw that Gozaburo and his associates were already there. A man with brownish hair and a mustache was in the dueling ring. "_So, this is the next associate._" The man also wore a business suit, but had a Duel Disk strapped to his arm.

Gozaburo smiled evilly with the arrival of Illidan. "Good to see you're early Illidan. I'd hate to see you lose all your friends due to being late." he said with a voice of sarcasm.

Illidan only glared at Gozaburo. "I'd worry more about what I'll do to you if you don't let my friends go." Illidan replied with a voice of cold steel.

Gozaburo only laughed and said "Well, we'll see about that. Let's begin this duel."

The judge then strode forward. He motioned for both Illidan and the associate to come forward. He gave his usual speech. Illidan and the associate then handed one another their decks. Each shuffled one another's decks and then returned them. Illidan then extended his hand, as did the associate.

As they shook hands, the associate said "I'll be taking you down Illidan. Count on that one!" he said with a laugh. Illidan ignored him and let go. He then moved back to his normal position.

"Mr. Stormrage, you have choice of going first or second." said the judge.

Illidan replied quickly with "I'll go second."

The judge nodded and said "Mr. Crump, you may go first then. Both of you activate your Duel Disks and call out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards. Mr. Crump, you may begin then."

Both then unfolded their Duel Disks. They sparked to life and the life point counters lit up.

"It's time you meet my Nightmare Penguin (900/1800)!" A penguin with a top hat and a tuxedo then appeared. Illidan only smiled at the odd looking Deck Master.

"Come forth my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!" Illidan's large soldier then appeared beside of him. His armor gleamed in the morning sun.

Both then drew their first five cards and said "Time to duel!"

Crump then drew his first card and laughed. "I'll soon enough beat you with my overwhelming numbers and be back on top as Mr. Kaiba's new accountant. Soon enough, I'll be counting the world's money, muwhaha!"

Illidan only grinned and replied "I wouldn't count on it my friend. Now make your move."

"Gladly. Now I summon Mucus Yolk (0/100) in defense mode." said Crump boldly. A pinkish-reddish blob then appeared on the field. It had a white center though, which seemed to be it's core.

"Next I set 2 cards face down and end my move. Let's see if you have the numbers to beat me." (Crump 8000, Illidan 8000)

Illidan only stood there confused. "_Why play such a weak monster in defense mode? Possibly it has a special effect, or his face down cards are something I need to watch. Either one, it won't matter in a moment._" Illidan then drew his card. Looking at his hand, he held Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Blade Knight, Magic Cylinder, D.D. Warrior Lady, Jinzo, and his newly drawn Cyber Harpie Lady. Smiling, he remembered how much Mai liked her Harpies.

"I summon Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300) in attack mode!" The bird like woman then appeared on the field, screeching at Crump.

"Now Cyber Harpie Lady, tear Crump's Mucus Yolk apart with Cyber Slash!" The Harpie then took off and flew straight at the blob.

As she neared, Crump smirked and said "You fell into my trap Illidan, muwhahaha! I activate my Crush Card Virus trap, which will now infect my Mucus Yolk!" Suddenly the blob became green, showing an infection.

"That's the card Seto uses!" declared Illidan in shock.

"Yes, it is Mr. Stormrage, and it's the same one that's just devastated you, muwhaha!" replied Crump.

Illidan watched in horror as his Cyber Harpie Lady slashed the blob with her talons. The blob instantly exploded, but threw bits of itself at Cyber Harpie Lady and at Illidan. The parts touched his hand and his deck. Suddenly the goop sparked. Cyber Harpie Lady screamed in pain and suddenly exploded.

"Now every monster with 1500 or more attack points on your side of the field, in your hand, and in your deck is sent to the Graveyard! Now sort out your deck and discard them!" demanded Crump.

Illidan growled and looked at his hand. He slowly sent his Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Blade Knight, D.D. Warrior Lady, and Jinzo to the Graveyard. Next he pulled his deck out. He looked at his deck. He slowly sorted through his deck, taking out monsters with 1500 or more attack points. He only had a handful of monsters that had less than 1500 attack points, which was rather bad. He now had most of his deck in his Graveyard.

He then saw the three Egyptian Gods. Obelisk was obviously infected, but then Illidan realized something. Neither Ra nor Slifer had the electrical sparks on them like all the other cards in his deck had. "_That must mean they're uninfected, but how? Of course! They start with 0 attack and defense. They're points are gained once they're on the field. That means I might actually have a chance if I can get three monsters out and draw one of these two. I just hope I can._" He finally sent all the monsters he had with 1500 or more attack points to the Graveyard. He then reshuffled his deck and reinserted it into his deck slot.

Crump only smirked at this movement. "You're in real trouble now my boy. Without your big number monsters, you're finished. Now hurry up your move so I can make my way back to the top!" cracked of Crump.

Illidan stared at the only card left in his hand. "I place one card face down and end my move." (Crump 8000, Illidan 8000)

"Now it's time to play the numbers game. I'll begin by playing A Legendary Ocean first!" A large body of water than poured down onto the field, taking the two into an underwater dueling arena.

"Next, I'll play Pot of Greed, allowing me to increase the odds for me to beat you. Now I'll play…"

"Wait Crump!" interrupted Gozaburo.

Both of them stared up at Gozaburo. "_What now?_"

"I think it's time I up the ante on this game for you two. Time for yet another Shadow Game!" Suddenly the tower went dark as the sphere of darkness covered the tower.

Illidan growled softly, knowing this couldn't be good. He then saw his friends reappearing on the walls. He slowly checked to see if everyone was there. Finally satisfied that they were, he looked up at Marie.

"I'd pay attention Illidan if I were you." called out Gozaburo.

Illidan turned towards the tyrant with a death glare.

"Now for the rules of this game. Once you lose life points, you will slowly be covered up in ice. As this duel continues, your body will slowly be covered. In the end, you'll be completely covered and frozen solid. You'll remain that way for all eternity within the Shadow Realm. Now continue!" declared Gozaburo.

Crump only grinned at this new news. "This works great for me seeing how I'm so cold blooded. Now, as I was saying, I'm about to teach you the evolution of business. You see, it starts out with weak numbers, but it gets better with time. And to represent my evolution chain, I'll summon Gigabyte (350/300) in attack mode!" A green reptile warrior then appeared on the field. He was a small monster, but had a strong will to fight.

"Now my Deck Master grants my new monster an additional 200 attack and defense points (550/500). As well, my Legendary Ocean grants another 200 attack and defense points (750/700). It's all about the numbers my boy!" squawked Crump. Gigobyte growled softly as his power grew.

"I'm far from done though Illidan, for I'm about to show you the next step in evolution. Now I activate the trap card known as Ultimate Offering! This trap allows me to give up a wise investment of 500 life points per an extra summon or set of a monster. I give up 500 life points in order to summon Gagagigo (1850/1000) in attack mode!" Another reptile warrior then appeared. He seemed like a larger version of Gigobyte, more than likely his adult form. The lizard roared at Illidan, trying to instill fear.

Suddenly, ice formed on one of Crump's feet. Crump only laughed at the freshly formed ice and said "Ah that feels much better. After all, what is better than a chunk of ice on yourself? Now my Gagagigo gains an additional 400 attack and defense points combined from my Nightmare Penguin and A Legendary Ocean (2250/1400)." The reptile warrior roared as it's strength increased, making it even more fierce.

"Don't count yourself so lucky yet Illidan, for I'm not done. Next I pay out another 500 life points in order to summon Giga Gagagigo (2450/1500)! And he gains an additional 400 points as well (2850/1900)!" Another reptile appeared on the field, but this one was quite different. This one was brown and green, but had more of an evil aura around him. It seemed that the goodness that had been in Gigobyte and Gagagigo was gone in this new creature.

About this time, Crump's other foot then froze over, causing him to laugh. "Well, I'd say the numbers speak for themselves Illidan. You're completely out gunned, and about to lose some major life points. You're about to fall faster than the temperature of the Antarctic. But before you start falling, I have one last card in my hand to play. I play the magic card known as Cold Wave!"

Suddenly ice formed over Illidan's face down card. Illidan was shocked at this latest development.

"What did you just do?" he asked curiously.

"Simple boy, I just froze all magic and trap cards on the field till my next turn. And since I froze all magic and trap cards, my own Ultimate Offering is froze over. Now it's time to show you how strong evolution of business is! Gigobyte, attack his life points directly with Claw Slash!" The smaller reptile leapt into action. He easily crossed the field and slashed Illidan with his claws, making Illidan slightly flinch with pain. Then ice began to form on both of Illidan's feet.

"Feeling a bit cold my boy?" asked Crump smartly.

Illidan only chuckled. "If you think this pitiful Shadow Game will beat me, you're sadly mistaken. I've dueled in a lot worse." replied Illidan with confidence.

Crump growled at Illidan's refusal to give in to fear and called out "Gagagigo, attack his life points directly with Tail Smash!" The older version of Gigobyte then leaped across the field and spun around. He then smacked Illidan hard with his tail, making Illidan slide back slightly. Then suddenly the ice formed further up Illidan's legs.

"Well, looks like you're becoming a bit stiff Illidan. Why the cold feet, muwhahaha!" joked Crump.

Illidan only laughed. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT? I'VE FACED COLDER NIGHTS IN THE SARAHA WITH ONLY A SMALL CLOAK TO KEEP ME WARM!" called back Illidan.

Crump growled with frustration and yelled "Giga Gagagigo, attack him directly with Reconstructed Slash!" The large brown reptile leaped at Illidan and slashed him with a set of odd claws. Illidan slid back slightly again, but remained standing. He was breathing hard, but was standing at least. Then suddenly the ice began forming further up him. It completely covered him up to halfway up his chest.

"Well, how about that, you're nearly out of this duel. I end my move, but soon enough I'll be counting you down to 0 life points and be on my way to the top, muwhahaha!" declared Crump. (Crump 7000, Illidan 1750)

Illidan only chuckled at Crump.

"Something funny Illidan? I seem to have missed the joke, or have you gone insane? Perhaps you should just give up, cause your chances of winning this duel now are slim to none." stated Crump.

Up on the wall of the Shadow Realm, Marie only stared down at Illidan, hoping against all that he'd win.

"Come on Illidan, you can win. I know you can." she called down.

"I wouldn't worry Marie." Yugi said to her.

She looked over at the young man that had a half grin.

"Illidan will win, you'll see." he said to her.

She smiled, knowing she couldn't give up Illidan as well.

Further on the wall, Seto silently thought to himself about Illidan's position. "_He's in a spot where he can't win. Without his Egyptian God Cards, he's finished. He won't win this duel._"

Back on the field, Illidan continued to chuckle. Finally, he stared up at Crump. "Know what's so funny Crump?" he asked.

Crump only shrugged.

"It's the fact that even though you say it's hopeless, I know you're wrong. I'm going to win due that I have the support of my friends, a belief in the Heart of the Cards, and a belief in myself! I made a promise to save everyone, and I intend on keeping it. Now watch this move!"

He then drew his card in confidence. Looking at it, he smiled. "I set one monster in defense. Your move Crump." (Crump 7000, Illidan 1750)

Crump only chuckled. "Is that all you have Illidan? And here I thought after that heartwarming speech you'd try to take me down. Now watch a real move. I sacrifice both Gigobyte and Gagagigo in order to summon Gogiga Gagagigo (2950/2800)!" A red and white colored reptile monster then appeared on the field, roaring. This freaky monster looked like a Frankenstein like creature. The creature seemed so full of darkness and hatred, unlike the two that had been sacrificed.

"Like my other monsters, he now gains 200 points from Nightmare Penguin and 200 more points from my Legendary Ocean (3350/3200)!" The red skinned monster roared as it's power slowly rose.

"Now to crush you once and for all! Giga Gagagigo, attack his pitiful face down monster with Reconstructed Slash!"


	121. Chapter 121: Frozen Math, Pt 2

**Hey everyone! Yay, I have lots and lots of reviews! Lol, but seriously, thanks everyone for your reviews. I'm rather surprised that this story has come this far. I know starting out, I was worried no one would like it, but now, I'm very surprised by the results. I have to really thank you all for your continuous encouragement through your reviews, but there is one special person I want to thank. I want to think my fiancé, Cindy, for all the encouragement she gave me to actually write this story. Not just to write it, but to continue with it, and to finish it. Also, she has made me a much better writer than I ever thought I could be. It's thanks to her that I finished, and that I continued on with a sequel, and again I decided once more to do another sequel. So, in all, I'd like to thank everyone, especially Cindy. Thank you all for your comments and encouragement.**

**Ok, enough of the mushy stuff. Time to get down to answering some reviews. Here goes.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks for the comments. Yep, he's in a tough spot, but Illidan is always calm and "cool" under pressure, lol.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yep, you reviewed once, lol. No worries. And don't worry, we'll find him more fish, one day.**

**Ryon Nakura: Ah, nothing like slashing tender flesh… I mean meat, yes. Lol, poor Ryou better watch out. At least you might not kill him, although the girls are debatable, hehe.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Hurray, a wedding! Maybe we could have a double one, like the one with me and Cindy. It'd be a half demon wedding and a murderer wedding in one. And yeah, Kikyo and Naraku would make such a perfect couple… till the honeymoon, in which Naraku slices Kikyo into millions of pieces. Hey, that'd be great still, lol. Gives Ryon a sharpening stone and whispers "Make it nice and sharp, please."**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: LOL! Feels sad for not being cheered for. Oh well, I'll get over it, one day… But yeah, I know what you mean about the Gigo cards. They're not too popular, unless you run a water deck, but only two of them are really used if even then, which are Gagagigo and Giga Gagagigo. Indeed he's as efficient as always, and I made sure he was. I kind of liked him the best of the group. He had personality, unlike the other four. Gansley was an ass, Johnson was a cheat, tin man Nizbit sucked, and Lector, well, he just sucked. Crump though, he was cool, due that he was a penguin. I think that's why I liked him, rofl! But yeah, Illidan's hanging in there. Hopefully he can hang on and win. Thanks for the comment about Marie, Illidan, and Yami fighting Ra. I thought it was kind of a good idea for Marie to win that one for the team. You'll get your reviews, so don't worry.**

**Strawberry Cake: I agree, rather disgusting book. Lol, at least he told you what it was, and not that one of them was already dead when this all happened. Watches her rush for the toilet again. Oops, did I say that, lol.**

**Fire Princess: Sorry about that. I didn't realize I forgot to answer your review. Ears droop. Gives puppy eyes. Can you ever forgive me? Wait a minute, what am I doing! I'm an evil half demon who shouldn't care! Still does though. Lol, but seriously, I didn't know I forgot it. I'll make sure I got it from now on. Gozaburo wasn't the nicest guy back then either. As I said last time, you'll see that more in Cindy's story. He was kind of there for the moment. And yes, Pegasus was funny, hehe. If he won't take it, I will. Just give it to me as a protection fee. The deal has me protect you. That's right, you get a half demon protector for the low, low fee of only ten-thousand dollars! I'll keep you safe from demons, spirits, and just plain odd weirdo's who have an ego problem.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Indeed she is. Lol, but math puns are fun. Just don't make me ever write a duel with the Paradox Brothers. My fiancé could kill me when I start that rhyming stuff. It's sad, due that it's that bad. NOOO! I rhymed! Runs for safe place to hide. Not safe enough though, due that he hears Cindy (I call her Marie usually online, lol) yell "SIT!" Slams to ground hard, making a Illidan shaped crater. Why me…**

**Peels self off of ground. Ok, now that that's over, that's it for today. Btw, thanks for the people who looked over my one shot. It's receiving some reviews, and so far, I'm enjoying them. I may do another one sometime. Also, I'll probably start writing on an Inuyasha fan fic once I'm done with the whole Illidan Stormrage series. Just depends on my mood I guess. At any rate, I'm done, so later you all.**

**Chapter 121**

The reconstructed reptile leapt at Illidan, claw ready to strike his monster. He struck the card image with the claw, easily crushing it. Then his claw was heard grinding against metal. There sat a sickle against the claw. Crump gasped as he recognized a grim reaper like monster.

"You set your Spirit Reaper?" he said in shock.

Illidan nodded and replied with "That's right, I set Spirit Reaper (300/200), and now that he's on the field, my life points are safe. None of your attacks can get through due that Spirit Reaper's special ability, which allows him to survive all battles. I'm far from done Crump, so don't even think I'm ready to quit this duel yet. Now finish up your move."

Crump growled in frustration and replied with "I end my move." (Crump 7000, Illidan 1750)

Illidan calmly drew his next card and looked at it. "I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards." he said calmly.

Even in chest deep ice, Illidan wasn't afraid or panicking. "_I just have to time my moves just right. As long as I can maintain my monster on the field, I'll be alright._" He then drew his two new cards and smiled.

"I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700) in defense mode." The grey magnet warrior then appeared in a crouching position with his magnetic shield out in front of himself for protection.

"Next I place one card face down. That ends my move." (Crump 7000, Illidan 1750)

"That was your last move!" yelled Crump. He then drew and smiled. "I summon the monster known as The Legendary Fisherman (1850/1600), and thanks to my Deck Master, he gains 200 points (2050/1800)!" A fisherman riding on a whale's back then appeared. He wielded a harpoon and had wild hair.

"Now Gogiga Gagagigo, attack his pathetic Magnet Warrior with Soulless Claw!" The mighty Frankenstein of a monster lurched forward and zoomed towards Alpha.

"I don't think so Crump! I reveal the trap Magic Cylinder, firing your attack right back at you directly!"

A set of twin barrels then appeared in front of Gogiga Gagagigo. The large monster flew into one and then reappeared out the other barrel. Gogiga Gagagigo then slashed his own master, causing Crump to scream out in pain. Suddenly then ice started covering Crump. He was a little over half covered when the ice stopped. Crump only shivered slightly, pulling his arms closer for heat.

"What's wrong Crump, I thought you were the one who liked it cold?" mocked Illidan.

Crump only grumbled and stood there thinking. It was like he was weighing out his options before he made a foolish move. "I won't attack again. The risk is a bit too large at the time, so I'll end my turn." (Crump 2650, Illidan 1750)

Illidan then drew his card and smiled. "I summon my Kuriboh (300/200) in defense mode." A little fur ball appeared on the field. It let out a small cry to show it was alive.

"That'll end my move." (Crump 2650, Illidan 1750)

Crump only laughed and said "Pathetic Illidan! If that's all you got, then you're done for. Now I summon my Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 (1500/1300) in attack mode! And in case you didn't know, he gets a 400 point boost as well (1900/1700)!" A red like machine like walking creature then appeared. It looked like a robot in a hunched over position. On it's back were 2 huge torpedoes, and it had large like hands on it's front. To say the least, it looked like an odd machine.

"Illidan's in real trouble now. That well oiled machine is going to pummel him and give him what he deserves!" blabbed Keith to the others on the wall.

Mai looked at Keith and said "You're a real great motivational speaker, you know that? After all, Illidan is only dueling to save us you idiot!"

Keith only smirked and snickered. "I don't care. That punk deserves to lose after what he done to me in our duels! He embarrassed me, me, the Intercontinental Champion…"

"Former Intercontinental Champion!" added Joey.

"… who was to win this tournament and show my greatness!" Keith finished.

"We'll make sure when he saves us to leave you in the Shadow Realm then Keith! That way you'll be able to say Illidan didn't do a thing to help you!" yelled Joey.

Everyone only laughed at Joey's joke about Keith, although many thought about actually doing it.

Meanwhile, Seto continued to think about Illidan's position. "_He's just playing defense, but why? He has nothing in his deck that can… WAIT! There is something still in his deck! I forgot, but there are two monsters that can save him. He must be trying to draw them. Perhaps he does still have a chance after all._" Seto then cracked on of his half smiles at that thought.

Back on the field, Crump laughed. "It's over for you Illidan. Now Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, direct attack his life points with Sea Torpedoes!"

"Huh, how can your monster direct attack?" asked Illidan.

"You see, when Umi is on the field, which happens to be A Legendary Ocean, my Bugroth's special effect is triggered. Its effect allows it to direct attack. His attack will wipe you out, muwahahaha!" gloated Crump.

The pair of mighty torpedoes on the machine then pointed at Illidan. Both fired simultaneously with Illidan in their sights. The blast easily passed his monsters, but as it neared, Illidan only chuckled.

"You think it's over, huh? Well, it's not! I reveal my trap, Waboku! This puts an end to your attack and saves my life points, as well as my monsters!" Three female mages then appeared on the field. They held out their hands and stopped the torpedoes as they came near Illidan.

Crump only growled in frustration and said "I END MY TURN!" (Crump 2650, Illidan 1750)

Up on the wall, everyone let out a sigh of relief, thankful Illidan didn't lose this turn. Well, everyone but Seto and Keith. Keith growled in frustration that Crump screwed up the move, and Seto was just silently thinking how Illidan was only stalling for time for possibly drawing one of two cards that could save him.

On the field, Illidan closed his eyes as he placed his hand on his next card to draw. "_There is one card in my deck that can help me win, but even if I draw it, there's no guarantee I'll win. I can't give up though. I refuse to let my friends down. They haven't given up on me, so I won't give up either. Heart of the Cards, please, guide me!_" Slowly, Illidan drew his card. He finally brought it up to his face and looked. It was exactly what he needed to help win this duel.

"You're in real trouble now Crump, for now I play the magic card known as Card of Sanctity! This magic card allows us both to draw till we hold 6 cards in our hands."

Crump only chuckled and said "You fool, you're helping me out as well. You just increased the odds of me beating you faster!"

"Maybe so…" replied Illidan. He then drew his 6 new cards at once. Slowly, he brought his new hand to his face and smiled. "_Exactly what I needed!_"

"You're finished Crump!" declared Illidan.

Crump only laughed and said "Why is that?"

"Cause I now hold the card I need to beat you. It's one of the ten cards I won from my friends." Illidan said with confidence.

Crump only put a puzzled look on his face. "Impossible! I destroyed every card you won from those fools!" he replied.

"Not true. Two of the ten survived. Now I reveal which one of the ten I'm about to use to destroy you. I sacrifice my Kuriboh, Alpha the Magnet Warrior, and Spirit Reaper to summon…" As Illidan yelled out the names of each monster, they let loose a cry and stood side by side. Then in a flash, the three disappeared. "… THE EGYPTIAN GOD, SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON (5000/5000)!"

In a flash of lightening, a long red body of a dragon appeared. It's massive red body started to encircle the tower, and then it's head appeared. It was truly Slifer the Sky Dragon in his full glory. The large red dragon roared down at Crump as smoke came out of one set of it's jaws.

Crump only trembled in fear at this sight. "IMPOSSIBLE! I destroyed that card! I know I did!" he yelled if a panic.

Illidan only laughed and replied with "Not quite. You see, your Crush Card Virus did destroy every monster with 1500 or more attack points in my hand, my deck, and on my side of the field, but Slifer isn't any normal monster. His attack points are determined by the number of cards in my hand when he's on the field. Since he was still in my deck, his attack points were simply zero, meaning your trap had absolutely no effect on him!"

Crump was now shocked beyond belief. "NOOO! All my calculations showed he would be gone!" he screamed in horror.

"Your calculations were wrong! Now Slifer, let's show him how wrong he was. Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack his Gogiga Gagagigo with Thunder Force!" The mighty red dragon roared and opened his mouth. A huge ball of energy built up in his mouth. The blast got bigger and bigger till finally Slifer spat it at the Frankenstein like monster. The horrible looking reptile screamed in horror as it blew up into millions of pieces. Crump then cried out in pain as well, for the ice began to cover him more and more. The blast had nearly covered him up completely. He only let out a sigh of relief, for he thought he was safe.

That was until Illidan laughed. "What is so funny!" Crump demanded in a chattering voice. He was already covered in ice up to his chin now, so he was rather cold.

"It's over Crump. That's what's so funny." Illidan replied.

"No, it's not. It's my move, so…"

"It's not!" interrupted Illidan.

"Huh?" replied Crump.

"It's not your move, for I activate my Deck Master's special ability. Now Slifer the Sky Dragon can attack again since he succeeded on his first attack. Slifer, attack his Giga Gagagigo with your Thunder Force!" The mighty red dragon once again blasted off another powerful ball of energy. The blast struck the wretched reconstructed monster, causing it to cry in pain as it blew up. Crump looked on in horror as his life points dropped to zero.

At that same time, the ice on Illidan's body blew off of him, spreading a great deal of ice on the tower.

Crump could only scream "NOOOOO!" till the ice finally covered him completely.

The judge then held up his hand and said "Illidan Stormrage is the winner!"

Illidan walked over to Crump and sighed. "_This man didn't deserve this, but he left me with no choice._"

Gozaburo only let loose a volley of laughter from his throne. He pointed at Crump and continued to laugh. Then he yelled "FOOL! I WARNED YOU HE'D BE STRONGER THAN YOU THOUGHT! NOW JOIN GANSLEY IN THE SHADOW REALM!"

With that, he pointed a finger at the ice sculpture. The ice then creaked and cracked as it shattered and a scream of "NOOO!" was heard as Crump was taken away into the darkness. The Shadow Realm then began to dematerialize slowly.

Illidan stared with sadness up at Marie, wishing he could save her. Till Gozaburo decided she could be free though, she was stuck here.

"I'll save you one day soon Marie. Remember I will always love you!" he cried out to her

She nodded and called back with "I love you too, and I'll be waiting." Then she slowly faded away as before.

Only Gozaburo and his three cronies were left, as well as a slightly confused judge.

"Illidan, since you defeated that fool so easily, you'll have yet another duel today. It shall be at 7:00 P.M. Be there or lose your friends forever, as well as the woman you love!" shouted Gozaburo.

Illidan only slightly growled. "Why don't you instead face me right now to get this over with? It would be much simpler than this charade you're playing with your associates." replied Illidan.

Gozaburo only chuckled and replied "We will soon enough, if you can surpass my associates. I'd prepare for tonight if I was you, for you never know what may come your way, muwahahaha!"

With that, the judge then hurried over to a little platform where the other three stood. The four were lowered while Gozaburo only stared at Illidan with an evil smile.

Illidan still had his Duel Disk powered up with the mighty Egyptian God Card, Slifer the Sky Dragon, on display.

Gozaburo only smirked and then hit the down button on his throne. As he lowered, he let loose an evil laughter at Illidan.

Sighing, Illidan then looked at his Duel Disk. He picked Slifer up off the tray and held it. His Duel Disk then powered down. While holding it, he realized it was thanks to two friends that he was even able to summon this particular monster.

"Thank you Yami and Yugi. If not for your Egyptian God Card, I would have lost. Thank you my friends." he said silently. Then he turned and went to the elevator, heading back to his room for a nice long rest.


	122. Chapter 122: Training and Thoughts

**Hello once more everyone. Glad everyone liked the end of the duel. Poor Crump got the cold shoulder, lol. Anyways, I'm glad everyone liked it. Well, as you can tell, the story is getting closer and closer to the end. How close, that's my secret, hehe. I will sell it though, if the price is right, lol. But seriously, the end is coming as you all can tell I'm sure. At any rate, time to get down to answering the reviews.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yes, the penguin was put in the freezer. Yeah, he was always my favorite. Lol, it could have been his corny jokes that made him my favorite probably. But yeah, the poor judge is just there.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: They're lasting, just not too long, lol. I believe most of them lasted at least 2 chapters or more, so it'll be alright. Actually, they've not had years. This story takes place after Battle City, like maybe a few months or so after it. For sure no more than six months, but more than one month. But yeah, the fact the Shadow Realm is waiting is a great incentive for them to really work hard. Yeah, there is something different about Ryon, but no worries. As long as he doesn't do any harm to me, or my client, it's all good.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, he will be. Watches lawyer guy walk over and hand Isis a card. Lawyer dude: "The name is Johnson, legal attorney for…" He's suddenly slashed in half by my claws. Oops… I killed off the next person! Maybe if I duct tape him back together… Yeah, that'll work, I hope.**

**sweetxokissesxo: Interesting name, lol. But welcome to the story. Interesting tv show. Hurray, Bakura cursed! The evil is finally working on him!**

**Ryon Nakura: Ah, no killing? I'm truly sad now. You've gone soft man! Smiles at the evil thoughts though. Yes, kill them all! Oops, did that come out? I mean snuggle with them all. Yes…**

**Fire Princess: Yes, once you pay me. Not own actually. More like rent, lol. Ah, I wouldn't kill in your sleep. That's too simple. Yes, he's worse. He one of the IRS workers that collect taxes! Curse them all!**

**Strawberry Cake: Lol, too many questions at once for Ryon obviously. It's just a coincidence that the book spells that out backwards. He just can't be Yami Bakura. Turns to story Illidan. Right? Story Illidan shrugs. Sighs Good fictional characters is so hard to find these days.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Are you really sure he's not one? Sakura did suck pretty bad till she got the hair cut. Now she actually does something. Was amazed by that fact. And yes Ryon, her hair is pink. Hehe, someone will have pink highlights in the sequel. Waits till Ryon is asleep and colors his hair to pink.**

**pink-kiss-candy: I answered both, just at once, lol. Lol, at least Ryon supplied you some food. Mmm, human… Wait, I'm on a human free diet. Damn you low human diet!**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: It was slightly short. Not too short, but slightly shorter than the others. That happened sometimes, and for simplicity reasons, so as to not confuse everyone, I made it slightly shorter. But anyways, yeah, I'll keep posting.**

**Well, that's all I have. Hopefully, everyone has enjoyed the story so far, and it will continue till there are no more chapters left. Then the sequel can begin! Lol, sad thing is, I had hopes of working on the final sequel by now, but I've yet to get much time for it. I may sometime. At any rate, for now, enjoy this story. Later all.**

**Chapter 122**

Illidan returned to his room and sat his Duel Disk and deck down on the table. With a heavy sigh, he sunk into the couch. He sat there, thinking how two of Gozaburo's associates had been targeting his deck differently.

Gansley first tried to just normally duel him and wear him down, but failed miserably. Crump this time though targeted Illidan's higher level monsters. If not for the two Egyptian God Cards that had survived the Crush Card Virus, he'd have more than likely lost. Sure, he had a few of his other cards that could have turned things around, but nothing dominant or permanent. If not for Slifer the Sky Dragon, he would have lost more than likely.

Now he had to prepare for the third of Gozaburo's associates. If he was anything like the other two, he'd definitely have a specific type of tactic to try against Illidan. What kind of tactic though, who would know. Illidan only sighed and sank deeper into the couch. He then closed his eyes, and slowly fell asleep.

He was awakened quickly by a dream though. It was one of the dreams where the world was devastated by the destruction of Gozaburo's wish. Most of the world was in ruins. The people of Earth were under his control, and worshiped him like a God. He had succeeded at doing what he'd wanted to perform. Worst of all, he had banished every one of his friends, with exception of Marie, to the Shadow Realm. Only he and Marie survived the awful banishing. Both were left to suffer through a world that hated and hunted them.

Eventually, he had died and Gozaburo had captured Marie, forcing her to become his slave for life. He had awakened at his death where he saw Marie being taken as Gozaburo's slave. Illidan was breathing hard, for the dream had felt so real.

"Could it have been a possible vision?" he said silently to himself. He then glanced down at his Millennium Key, which was glowing softly.

"Possibly since you're glowing." he said to the key.

He then stood and stretched out. It was already 2 o'clock.

"I need to train some, just to get these thoughts off my mind. After all, it was Squall that said to train the mind you must train the body."

He then went to the top of the tower and began stretching out. Slowly, he warmed up his legs and arms, as well as other essential joints.

Years before, when he was just a child of 6 years of age, he had started taking karate classes. To his sensei's amazement, Illidan had surpassed all the students in the class by the end of the year. He was truly gifted for fighting, as well as for memorizing fighting moves. By his second year, he had even surpassed the sensei. Illidan was then sent to another sensei that was stronger, but in no time, Illidan surpassed him as well. By the age of 10, Illidan was said to be one of the best in the state where he lived. He had won countless awards from tournaments. Even though he had won so many awards, it didn't matter to him. About the age of 12, he was finished with fighting after he had really hurt a competitor that wouldn't give up. From then on, Illidan vowed not to fight unless necessary.

Then at the age of 13, he found something that made him truly think while somewhat fight. It was the game of Duel Monsters. He had heard of it, but never truly seen it till this age. Within the first few weeks of being shown it, he bought some cards. Slowly, Illidan learned about the game. Over time, he began to develop some killer strategies, and really took his abilities up to a new level.

At the age of 15, he had started dueling in tournaments. It was in one tournament that he'd met Marie. He had barely beat her, and they had placed a wager on the friendly game. If he won, she'd agree to give him her phone number, and if she won, he'd agree to put on a pink tutu. Thankfully, he had won. He had only won with a handful of life points, but won none the less. From then on, the two had talked and dueled together quite often. Slowly, they grew closer till finally Illidan worked up the courage to truthfully ask her out. When he had made that wager earlier, he had been only half joking. Sure, he'd had opportunities to go with other girls, but he never took them up on it. This girl though, she was different. Everything just seemed to click with her. They seemingly were like long lost friends from another time. They slowly developed a relationship, and Illidan realized soon enough he did truly love Marie. Both had a hard time admitting it, but they finally did and both knew it to be true.

As they grew older, they won many tournaments. At one of them, Seto Kaiba had made an appearance. He sat there all clammed up and said hardly a word. In this tournament, Illidan had won first place. In a way, looking back, it had been to try and show he was the strongest. Seto had never said a word to him, nor congratulated him on his win when he walked up to receive his trophy. He just handed it to him and left. Illidan had shrugged it off and never gave a second thought to it.

By the time Illidan was 17, he was still practicing his karate on his own time. He had heard a quote from somewhere that to train the mind you had to train the body as well. He continued to follow this principle always. Before a Duel Monsters tournament, he'd go and warm up with some training.

After he had received the Millennium Key only a week or so ago, it all made sense then why he always continued to train his mind and body. It also made so much sense to why him and Marie got along so well also. Everything had basically repeated itself, for the most part. Now he was in a tournament to save the world from Gozaburo and the Millennium Crown.

As he continued to practice and work his body, he slowly thought of his task before him. He had to finish off the remaining three associates, then the final task itself would be before him. Gozaburo most likely had a strong deck, for he'd need it. In order to combat three Egyptian God Cards, he'd need one heck of a deck really. After all, Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra were all three incredibly strong and had few weaknesses. He only wondered if maybe Gozaburo knew some and was counting on that to win his duel against Illidan. Why else dare to allow Illidan to use all three against him in a duel? After all, in order to activate the Millennium Crown, he had to survive the duel against Illidan. If Illidan won though, he'd get ownership and command of the Millennium Crown and it's full powers. Not to mention, more importantly, his friends would be free. That was his main goal. He had to free them, no matter the cost. This whole ordeal was already worrisome enough, but the fact that Marie was held by that madman made it worse.

As he continued to practice, his movements became faster and more powerful. Releasing his anger and frustration through these movements was the best he could do for now. If he used anger and frustration during his duels though, he'd lose more than likely.

"Anger only clouds your mind in battle, so remember to never use it against an opponent." Squall had lectured him during his training from long ago.

Illidan smiled, remembering his teacher had taught him that in his early training. He had been so mad at the Pharaoh of Egypt, Yami's father, for he'd tried to have himself, his father, and the band of nomads that had come to get him for training killed. They succeeded in killing his father and all but one, which was Squall, of the small group of nomads that had come. It had been rough for him loosing his father, for he had loved him dearly. Illidan had been so filled with rage and a need for revenge on that day, but if he had tried, he'd have been killed. Luckily, Squall taught him to let vengeance go.

"A man that kills for revenge can never be at peace. Remember my young student, for if you kill in anger and rage, you will never have peace. You will be lowering yourself to their level, thus making you as bad as them. I doubt truly that you wish to receive such a judgment." Squall had lectured to him at another time.

Illidan was rather thankful though for Squall's lessons and lectures. Because of Squall, Illidan had learned to control his anger and learned many life lessons. He learned so much from the man really. He also discovered how protecting someone seemed to raise a person's abilities to defend someone else.

Illidan had first noticed this when a small group of raiders attacked the nomads. Squall was defending his wife, Rinoa, who was pregnant at the time. The one raider went after her, but Squall slashed him in half, even though he had been very weak at the time due to a wound. It had amazed Illidan at how Squall had protected his wife with such incredible strength. Illidan had later asked Squall how he had done it, and Squall only laughed.

He replied with "When you have someone to protect, your own power seems to grow exponentially. That's how I defended Rinoa earlier."

As Illidan reached the more intense part of his workout, he remembered again how he had not really known what Squall had meant by those words. It wasn't till he met Marie that it all clicked. Soon after he had started teaching her, he realized how badly he was starting to long for her company, and how he felt he had to protect her from any harm. It wasn't till his second year of teaching her that he came to the realization that he truly loved her. Truthfully, he had loved her longer than that, but he didn't realize it fully till then.

He didn't fully realize till one month when Yami took Marie with him on a journey through Egypt. Illidan had stayed behind due that he had others to teach and Yami had placed him in charge of Egypt in his absence, but only a day after they had left, Illidan realized how badly he missed his favorite student. Not just due that he loved teaching to her, but due that he loved her company, her talks, the scent he always caught when she was near, the sight of her, and just the sound of her voice. It was that day he truly realized how badly he had fallen in love with her. Even though he felt such strong love for her, he knew better than to act on it. He didn't want to ruin her future by trying to win her favor. After all, the point of her training was to prepare her to help defend Egypt, plus the Shadow Court was thinking of asking her to join in the future. Not to mention, Yami had mentioned to him that once her training was complete, she would be freed from slavery. The last thing Illidan wanted to do was to mess up his student's future, so he left things as they were. But it was obvious to everyone that he was very protective of Marie. During their many months of training, he was very careful to never put her into situations where she would be in very much danger.

For the entire year till her final day of testing, Illidan continued to conceal his feelings. Luckily, she had not tried to read how he felt anymore. If she had, she'd have known how he truly felt easily probably. It wasn't till the day that Yami had pitched an idea to have Marie join the Shadow Court that Illidan let his true feelings be known about Marie to Yami. Yami had pitched the idea, but Illidan utterly rejected it, saying his student was far too weak to join. Yami and the others argued against Illidan's objections. Finally, knowing more than likely he was outmatched, Illidan asked to speak to Yami alone to discuss another reason.

Once alone, the young pharaoh sat down and said "What is wrong with you?" he demanded once the two of them were alone.

Illidan only looked away from Yami. He couldn't even look at his friend. "She's… she's not ready. That's just it. It's also far too dangerous for her to be on the council seeing how she's the weakest among us." he finally said.

Yami only sighed, and said "Illidan, you've told me for the last three years that Marie is one of the most amazing students you could ever have. In three years time, she has gone from being the level I'd have been at nine to the level I was at sixteen. That is eight years of training compacted into three. She has grown stronger at a faster pace than any of us ever did. Now, you can't tell me she is too weak still."

Illidan continued to only look away and remained silent.

"Illidan, tell me what is going on."

Illidan looked at Yami with an unreadable face. Yami could usually tell how Illidan felt, but not this time. Sighing, Illidan sat down near Yami's throne.

"Well, have you ever had one of those things that just happened and you had no idea how you got to that point?" Illidan asked.

Yami nodded, saying "Yes, I've had that happen from time to time."

Illidan then slowly said "Well, that's what is wrong with her. Slowly over the last three years, I've gotten to know Marie. Over that time, I developed… feelings for her. Not just feelings I guess, but most likely a strong connection, possibly even love. I think it's truly love, but I know how dangerous the Shadow Court is. That's why I can't allow her to join. My feelings for her would get in the way, and that would affect the Shadow Court. Due that I'm stronger, I feel bound to stay, but I can't let her on. If she joins, I just don't know what would happen…"

Yami only smiled softly at his friend. "Illidan, do you know if she has the same feelings or not for you?" he asked gently.

Illidan looked away again, and said flatly "No, I don't. If she does, I don't want to mess everything up for her, but at the same time, I can't put her in danger."

Yami then stood and placed a hand on Illidan's shoulder and said "Sometimes things in life are worth the risk though. Love is one of them. Do what your heart feels is right, but I will not let you break that girl's heart by not allowing her to join the Shadow Court. She has longed to join us, and I won't let you take that from her."

Illidan looked at his friend and sighed. He knew Yami wouldn't allow him to stop his quest to keep Marie off the court. It was then that he decided the only way to keep her off was to personally make her final test impossible for her to win.

Illidan had done just that the next day, throwing down a Monster Shadow Game, but to his surprise, as well as the others, Marie won the duel. Few had defeated Illidan, but Marie somehow beat him. It was during her recovery that Illidan finally revealed his feelings to her, and she revealed her true feelings for him. From that day on, the two were nearly inseparable.

Finally, Illidan hit the final part of his exercise. He stood there, shaking slightly from the work out. He then took in a deep breath and relaxed.

"That should do it. I think I've warmed myself up enough."

With that, he turned and grabbed a towel he had brought up with him. He then started to dry off and headed to the elevator. He went back to his room and got a quick shower and some dinner. Once he had eaten, he noticed it was already 6:30.

Illidan quickly grabbed his deck and took a quick look through. Once satisfied, he stuck it in his deck holder and grabbed his Duel Disk. Illidan then proceeded to walk towards the elevator with a purpose.

"Two down so far, three to go." he said softly. Finally, he reached the elevator. Sighing slightly, he got on. Once at the top, he saw the judge was already there, as well as the Gozaburo and his associates. One of them stood further out, signifying he was Illidan's opponent.

The judge started his usual speech. Illidan's opponent then walked up to Illidan and handed him a card from his pocket.

"The name is Johnson, future legal councilor to represent Mr. Kaiba against the world in any legal matters. Of course, seeing how he will control the world, my job should be easy." the lawyer said with a small chuckle.

Illidan only took the card and ripped it up and threw it to the ground.

"You'll need more than legal help to beat me. Let's do this."

Johnson slightly growled at his card being destroyed, but shrugged it off. The judge then proceeded with his usual speech. Both then went to their positions.

"Since Mr. Johnson is the challenger, he shall go first. Activate your Duel Disks and bring forth your Deck Masters, then draw 5 cards and begin." said the judge in simplicity.

Both then unfolded their Duel Disks.

"I call forth my strong legal advisor, Judge Man (2200/1500)." A monster in robes then appeared. He held a gavel in one hand and had a mask on his face.

"I bring forth my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)." called out Illidan. Illidan's large soldier in black armor that had a beautiful luster appeared beside of him.

Both then drew their first five cards and said "LET'S DUEL!"


	123. Chapter 123: Court of Pain, Pt 1

**Hello once more everybody. Glad everyone liked the chapter with Illidan out having a workout. I guess I kind of pulled the "to train the mind you need to train the body" from Fullmetal Alchemist. After all, that's what Ed and Al's teacher always taught them. But anyways, I'm glad you all liked that chapter. Hopefully you'll enjoy the duel coming up too. So, without further ado, time for reviews.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Meh, he just let him go first. Since Illidan aways likes going second, I figured why not just make the decision for him, lol. Cool that you saw me online. I don't mind if you message me though. Even if I'm away, I'll at least know to get back with you. I think I was probably still cleaning my room, or outside. I had to go take our horses (my dad just bought four horses, two being young colts, like under two months, and the other two horses are their mothers) out to graze in our other field. Yes, I know, I'm definitely a hick now, lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Thanks, and yeah, Squall worked with Illidan. You'll see more about Squall and his training techniques on Illidan in Cindy's story.**

**Ryon Nakura: Hey, even Vegeta from Dragonball Z wore pink shirts, so enjoy the evilness of pink. Ah, there that evil is, well, sort of is.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Lol, Johnson wasn't bad, but the penguin had him beat. Hands down, no one could out wit the witty penguin. Laughs at fairy Ryon. Waits for Ryon to sleep so he can stick on the pink fairy wings.**

**Strawberry Cake: I'd figure it'd be a simple answer there Ryon. After all, we all know Bakura had more fun at being evil, and made it look a lot better. All Marik had was his tongue sticking out routine, which got old, lol.**

**Fire Princess: Yes, lol. Puts hands out for money.**

**sweetxokissesxo: Yep, it is that bad, but so good, lol. Uh, Ryon, you're worrying us all by talking to a slowly fading away Bakura. After all, him swearing will only make him stronger, and possibly allow him to kill you. Laughs at that statement. Just kidding. After all, Ryou kill you, highly unlikely, hehe.**

**Isis the Sphinx: It is a miracle on a roll, for sure. Thanks for the congrats. Something odd I noticed when I broke my story up into four files was how I was close to having a specific number of files in each file. I had four files, with three having thirty-five chapters, while the last was one short of thirty-five. Oh well, maybe that's not odd, lol. Anyways, I did do some planning on that story today, and a bit of research, so I'll try hard to get this done tomorrow. If I can't by very late, I'll let you know. I'll try, so bear with me for a short time. Thanks.**

**pink-kiss-candy: I used to. Now I'm on that damn human diet. And yes, I'd like to meet you too Ryon. Maybe it'd be like when Freddy met Jason, lol.**

**Well, that's it for the reviews. Glad everyone is enjoying things. Now, here is a fun thing, just cause I like doing fun things, lol. Anyways, if anyone can guess how many chapters I wrote, I'll post a second chapter today. I gave away the secret, so someone review and say how many, and I'll post a second chapter. Anyways, this half demon has things to do (like write, lol). Later all.**

**Chapter 123**

While drawing his card, Johnson said "I'll begin by summoning my strong defensive witness, Mystical Elf (800/2000) in defense mode." An elf in green robes then appeared. She was blue skinned and had blonde hair, and had her arms in a praying stance.

"Now I'll strengthen her defensive testimony by playing the field card known as Chorus of Sanctuary!" A field of flowers then appeared, as well as a little Cupid like creature in the background.

"Thanks to my field card, all of our monsters now gain 500 defensive points. Now my Mystical Elf gets stronger (800/2500). Next I set two cards face down and ends my move. Let's see what kind of case you can string up Mr. Stormrage." (Johnson 8000, Illidan 8000)

Illidan only slightly smiled and drew his card. Looking at his hand, he saw he had Mirror Force, Yamata Dragon, Dark Magician of Chaos, Perfect Machine King, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and his newly drawn Cyber Jar. "_Great… Nothing but a bunch of tribute monsters. Oh well, at least I drew Cyber Jar and Mirror Force._"

"I place one monster in defense and set one card face down. That shall end my move." (Johnson 8000, Illidan 8000)

Before Johnson could say a thing, Gozaburo spoke up. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think it's time to raise the stakes. Let's take this duel up to the next level. Time for the Shadow Realm, muwhahaha!" With that, his Millennium Crown glowed and the sphere of darkness appeared around the top of the tower. Slowly, all of the people that had been attached to the walls reappeared one by one.

"This Shadow Game shall be different from the others. Since pain doesn't seem to affect you Illidan, I've decided to inflict the pain to you a different way." Gozaburo was smiling evilly as he said this.

"_What is he planning this time?_" "What are you saying then?" questioned Illidan.

Chuckling, Gozaburo then pointed towards the walls. "I am simply saying instead of you feeling the pain, your friends shall feel it."

Illidan's face went white with fear. "Leave them out of this! This duel is between me and your flunky, so send the pain to me, not them!" cried out Illidan.

Gozaburo only laughed at Illidan's call for decency. "No, they shall suffer this time instead. Every time you loose life points, one person of Johnson's choosing shall feel a strong electrical shock of lightening. If Johnson looses life points, he shall fell the strong shock as well. Muwhahaha, your friends shall feel your failures, so I'd advise you be careful with your points. Remember, every point you loose gives someone pain. That included if you spend life points of your own, so be my guest to use your Deck Master, muwhahaha!"

Illidan only growled in frustration. "_Now if I loose even one life point, someone will suffer for my errors. I have to be just that much more careful._"

"Now continue you two, for I wish to see the torment and anguish on Illidan's face, muwahahaha!" called out Gozaburo.

"You won't get away with this Gozaburo!" Illidan replied.

"Mr. Stormrage, you should pay more attention to me and not Mr. Kaiba. Now watch as I activate my two face down cards before I start my move. The first one is the trap known as Solemn Wishes. This grants me 500 life points every time I draw. The next trap I activate is known as Life Absorbing Machine. This trap grants me half of the life points I lost the turn before when I used a cost effect of a monster, magic, or trap card. Now, I draw, thus gaining 500 life points. This case is about to be nearly closed Mr. Stormrage. Now I play the magic card known as Nobleman of Extermination. This magic card destroys one magic or trap card on your side of the field and removes it from play. Also, if the face down card is a trap, we both must search our deck and send that card to the removed from play pile as well." Suddenly a huge knight with a large sword appeared. He leapt across the field and sliced Illidan's face down card in half. It was then flipped up to be revealed as Mirror Force. Illidan slightly growled in frustration at the loss of his trap, but wasn't worried.

"Now I search my deck and remove my Mirror Force from play as well. Next I'll sacrifice my weaker witness for a more powerful witness known as Catapult Turtle (1000/2000) in defense mode." The elf in green then disappeared and a huge metallic turtle appeared. It let a small roar out and its catapult on its back made a small hissing noise.

"Also, my new witness gains 500 defense points thanks to my field card (1000/2500). Now I play one final card. I play the magic card known as Reasoning. This card is a rather special card. Now you get to guess a monster level, then I draw from my deck till I draw a monster. Any magic or trap cards drawn are automatically discarded to the Graveyard. Also, if you guess the right level of monster, that monster is discarded as well and I have to end my turn. Guess wrong though, and I can special summon that monster to the field. Now, please take a guess Mr. Stormrage."

Without much thought, Illidan said "I choose level 4." "_It's a basic level. Since most duelists use level 4's the most, he may draw one._"

"Very well Mr. Stormrage." replied Johnson. He then proceeded to draw.

"First I draw my Monster Reborn. It is sent to the Graveyard. Now I draw Graceful Charity, which goes as well. Next my Mirror Wall goes to the grave. Ah, but now I drew a monster. It's one I'm sure you've seen rather often as well, and it's not a level four Mr. Stormrage. I think you'll find this monster rather familiar and friendly in a way."

"Just summon it already!" yelled an irritated Illidan.

"Very well Mr. Stormrage. I special summon my Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000) in attack mode! By the way, she gains the additional 500 defense points as well (2800/2500)." Illidan was in shock as the card image of Guardian Angel Joan then appeared. From the image came the pink skinned angel with her flowing white and gold robes, and golden wings. This was the image Illidan had for so long associated with Marie in her current life. She had mostly used this monster in duels with him and others, and in this tournament she had used it as a Deck Master. In a way, seeing this monster was a mental flinch to Illidan. He hadn't seen this monster in two days and already realized this was a sign of how deeply he did miss Marie. Suddenly he realized what Johnson was trying to do to him.

He slightly chuckled and pointed at Johnson and said "Your mind games won't work on me Johnson. You're trying to make me get distracted by playing a card Marie always played. It just won't work on me though."

Johnson only laughed and said "Oh, did I actually play a monster that Marie actually plays. I didn't realize it. Now, back down to business."

Illidan only chuckled. "_He will attack and hit my Cyber Jar. Then I'll be able to blow away that mobile reptilian launch pad and this angel. Then I should be able to draw hopefully at least 5 monsters that I can summon to the field with Cyber Jar's help._"

"Well?" asked Illidan.

Johnson only smiled and said "I now activate my Deck Master's special ability. This ability is known as Clear the Courtroom. Thanks to my all powerful Judge Man, I can now pay 1000 life points to activate this effect, so I do it now." Once Johnson's life points went down, a huge set of lightening bolts appeared around him and struck him hard, causing him to cry out in pain. The strikes finally stopped and he stood there slightly gasping and full of wisps of smoke.

At last, he stood straight and said "Now that that is over with, Judge Man can use Clear the Courtroom. Do it my mighty Deck Master!" The large monster then gripped his gavel and threw it at Illidan's face down monster. The card image was easily struck and Cyber Jar appeared. Then Cyber Jar blew up.

"What happened?" asked a shocked Illidan.

"Simple Mr. Stormrage. Clear the Courtroom destroys all the monsters on your side of the field at a cost of only 1000 life points from me. The next part of that effect is about to kick in as well. For every monster you loose, you loose 500 life points." Suddenly Illidan's life point counter then dropped by 500.

"_OH NO!_"

"Now, who shall I make suffer?" asked Johnson in a candid voice.

"Pick me Johnson! They've done nothing to you, so take it out on me!" cried out Illidan.

Johnson only grinned evilly and shook his head. "No, I want one person to suffer, and that's Mr. Wheeler. He cost me my freedom in our previous duels, so I'll take it out on him and his closest friends. I think for starters, I'll take it out on the woman he loves, so I choose Mai to receive the damage!"

He then pointed at Mai and the lightening bolts began to form. Mai screamed in pain as the bolts surrounded her and were starting to inflict their pain to her.

"MAI!" cried out Joey.

"NO, NOT MAI!" screamed Illidan.

Slowly, the bolts dissipated, but the damage was done. Mai was smoking slightly as she trembled.

"Don't worry about… me guys. Do what you have… to do Illidan." called out recognizably weakened Mai.

Illidan nodded and then looked at Johnson. Now with no monsters out, Illidan was a sitting duck.

"You're about to suffer some major damage Mr. Stormrage. Now Guardian Angel Joan, direct attack Illidan with Golden Wing Blast!" The powerful pink skin fairy then stretched her wings and power began to build. Finally, she built up enough strength and fired a huge golden blast at Illidan, easily knocking Illidan to one knee. He sat there momentarily dazed, but quickly recovered and stood up.

"Now, who shall I hurt for the life points you just lost?" blurted out Johnson.

"LEAVE THEM BE AND HURT ME INSTEAD!" pleaded Illidan.

Johnson only laughed and waved his finger. "I don't think so Mr. Stormrage. I'd much rather see a look of torment on your face as your friends suffer, much like the one on Joey's face as I hurt his closest friends and family. Now I'll have the damage done to Joey's sister, Serenity!"

He pointed at her and the lightening formed around her. Bolt after bolt struck the young girl, causing her to scream in pain. She was crying as she was shocked, yelling out in pain as each bolt hurt worse than the last.

Joey had a look of horror on his face and screamed "LEAVE HER BE AND TAKE YOUR RAGE OUT ON ME JOHNSON! IT'S ME YOU WANT, NOT MY FRIENDS OR SISTER!"

Johnson only laughed as the bolts finally stopped. Serenity was smoking and had her head down. Tears could still be seen coming from her eyes as she only tried to relax and recover from the pain.

Illidan had watched in horror as his friend had suffered through that torment. Growling, Illidan turned to Johnson and said "Stop this now before you kill one of them!"

Johnson only laughed at Illidan. All of Illidan's words were in vain, for Johnson had no intention on conceding.

"Why do you hate Joey so much?" Illidan asked.

Johnson only turned serious. "That fool is the reason I was banished into the far reaches of cyberspace. Joey is the reason I didn't win my freedom from Noa! Joey is the reason I was condemned to remain in that prison. You see, Mr. Wheeler and I dueled when Noa had captured him and the others before the Battle City Finals. Me and Mr. Wheeler began to duel, and I was doing quite well. I nearly had the duel won when suddenly Noa interrupted our duel and said I'd been cheating when clearly I had just been bending the rules, not breaking them."

Joey yelled down "YOU LIAR! You broke several rules and nearly got away with it too!"

Noa then called out "Johnson, you were disgracing my name, so I put my foot down and stopped your cheating. If you'd have won, your win would have been tarnished and a disgrace to myself. I would never have allowed you to leave after that incident."

Johnson only straightened his glasses and looked up at them and said "That's why I'm so angry with the both of you. I had that duel won till Noa stuck his nose in my business. After he had, I was forced to play by all the fair rules. Joey then defeated me in that duel, but that wasn't the humiliating part. The worst part was when I and the other Big 5 members dueled Joey and Yugi in a duel. I had declared that Joey would be the weakest link in that team, but it turned out that he was the actual one that won the duel for the two of them. I had miscalculated how determined and strong Joseph was, and we all five paid for my mistake. Now I have a chance to correct my error by defeating you and sending that fool along with all his friends to the Shadow Realm!"

Illidan only shook his head and looked at Johnson and said "That is pitiful Johnson. To hold a grudge over something that you tried to set up in the first place is sad, but to hurt his friends and family to get back at Joey, that's just unforgivable!"

Johnson only burst out loud laughing. "Unforgivable? Well, who said I wanted forgiveness? I sure don't! Now, to continue on with my move. I now activate Catapult Turtle's special ability. By sacrificing a monster on the field, I can do damage to your life points directly equal to half of that monster's original attack points. Now Guardian Angel Joan, get onto Catapult Turtle's launcher!"

The pink angel then flew onto the top of large turtle and landed on the launching pad.

"I sacrifice Guardian Angel Joan to Catapult Turtle now, so fire her directly at Illidan's life points my Catapult Turtle!" The large turtle roared and then aimed at Illidan. Then the turtle fired his launcher with Joan on it. Joan turned into an energy blast and struck Illidan hard, making Illidan fall to his knees. Illidan was panting hard from the attack, but slowly rose back up.

"Who shall I punish now? I think Yugi will make a wise target!"

Johnson then pointed at Yugi and electrical energy started forming around Yugi. Yugi screamed out in pain as the bolts slowly appeared to cook him. Finally, the blast subsided, leaving a steaming Yugi with a face of pain.

"YUGI!" cried out Joey.

"I'm fine Joey…" Yugi called back.

Joey only let loose a sigh of relief, but growled in anger and frustration at Johnson.

Johnson only smirked and then said "I end my move. I'd advise you to quit Mr. Stormrage, for you've lost half your life points in one turn. It appears you're at a point that you should just quit." (Johnson 7500, Illidan 3300)


	124. Chapter 124: Court of Pain, Pt 2

**Hey guys and girls. Glad everyone liked that chapter. No one answered my question I had earlier. I'm so sad. Dog ears droop. Oh well, I guess I'll get over it, hehe. Anyways, I was looking, and I think that I'll post the last chapter of this story on a special day. It'll be the day me and Cindy hopefully get married. I guess that way I can make it a special two for one day, lol. At any rate, time to get down to answering some reviews.**

**Isis the Sphinx: No problem, and I didn't mind at all. I'm just glad you liked what I wrote. Btw, I'd beware of Cindy (Marie). She'll transform and kill you if you're not careful, lol. Kidding of course though, for she understands. She knows no one can resist me. It's the ears. Chicks dig the ears. Looks over shoulder to see an angry Marie. I mean, no, I turn down every offer! Chicks shouldn't dig the ears!**

**sweetxokissesxo: Lol, watch out for the rabid British boy! He'll hurt you, possibly.**

**Strawberry Cake: Ah, true Ryon, but you forgot one thing. He got soft after he lost that evil side. Sad how excellent villains lose their edge when they lose the evil mojo.**

**Fire Princess: Lol, that's alright. Just make sure I'm paid, eventually. I'll just have to charge interest, hehe.**

**Brianna Ishtar: True, very random for Crump. He probably kept track of how many times someone went to the bathroom. Ok, that'd just be an odd record to keep. Wow! That's an excellent dress. I'll have to get Marie one for our wedding, hehe. Gets smacked in the back of the head for suggesting that. Damn woman and that stern hand. Why I ought to… Marie: "SIT BOY!" Smacks ground. Why, oh why I ever allowed her to buy me this necklace, and why oh why I allowed her to put it on me is a mystery still!**

**Ryon Nakura: Yes, pretty pink wings that are not meant for flying. I should have warned you about that. Actually, they have a warning tag on the back of them. I just forgot to mention that, hehe.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Ok… Evil judgey thingy it is. He's the one that lost. Actually, I think he could be both. I would have to guess they both did, lol.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yep, self absorbed and a prick. You see more and more of those in the real world anymore, hehe. True, he's a transsexual as well, lol. I had forgotten about that. Oh well, at least he didn't make out with Joey while in the form of Mai. Then that would be rather odd. Yeah, he's causing lots of trouble for Illidan. True, his deck had no central theme, although I tried my best to fix that. And yes, Illidan has a few surprise witnesses left to call. I have a feeling the case will be closed once they're called.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, I made this Shadow Game a bit more evil. The other two were show inspired, but this one I wanted a real good game. After all, as Illidan said, Gozaburo was playing games that he had played when he was training with the nomads, which was long before he got good. Yep, it's a tough Deck Master, but it'll be alright. Hopefully, lol.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Yeah, you're right about that. I kind of forgot about that. I didn't read the text of the card very well. Then again, I've not used that card since very early in my dueling years, plus I just remembered it due to memory, so I didn't read the fine print. Yep, the two of them are rather cruel. Yes, I wrote my entire story, but it was in four separate files. When I was writing it on my laptop originally, after a certain number of chapters, it started acting up for some odd reason. So, to solve that, I made 35 chapter sized files. I had three and a fourth one with one less than thirty-five. But as for posting it on yes, I had to make them single files. So far, I have 124 files. That's rather annoying, but oh well, I'll deal with it, for now…**

**Yawn Must stay awake for work. Anyways, that's all the reviews. I'll probably not be posting on the weekends for a short time due that I'll be rather busy on them, but no worries, they'll always be at least five chapters a week coming out, if not more. Well, I'm done, so I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Later.**

**Chapter 124**

Illidan began to reach for his next card when he stopped to think. "_If I keep this up, they'll only get hurt worse. What should I do? If I continue on, my friends could seriously get hurt, or worse. What do I do?_"

As if reading his mind, Yugi called down to Illidan. "Illidan, don't give up! You can still turn this thing around! Just believe in the Heart of the Cards! We believe in you and know you can save us!"

Illidan looked up, seeing how confident Yugi seemed in him. "But… You all are suffering due to me. If I quit, the suffering will end."

Yugi only shook his head. Joey then interjected and said "If you quit now, we'll all lose in the end. You know yourself that Gozaburo said if you lost, we'd all be taking a permanent vacation to the Shadow Realm, so giving up isn't an option! Not matter the cost, you have to fight!"

Illidan only nodded to Joey, knowing he was right. With a renewed confidence, he drew his card. Looking at it, Illidan let off a small smile.

"I play the magic card known as Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards." Illidan then quickly drew his 2 new cards and glanced at them.

He smiled and then said "I now play the magic card known as Cost Down! This magic card allows me to discard one card from my hand in order to lower all the monsters in my hand by two stars. That means an eight star monster becomes a six star monster and so on. Of course, this only lasts this turn, but it's well worth it. Now I discard Dark Magician of Chaos in order to use Cost Down."

Johnson only chuckled. "You just wasted a good monster to use a good card. By the way, if you're planning on using a level six monster as a level four, you're wasting your time. The two monsters that I know of that you have that are level six are a waste of time due that they have less attack points than my Catapult Turtle's defense points."

Illidan only lightly chuckled. "Who said anything about summoning a level six monster? I never planned on using one right now. I plan on using a higher level monster. Now watch as I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600 + 500 3100)!" A fiery pentagram then appeared on the field. In the center appeared a blue skinned mage with tight fighting black armor that wielded a mighty staff. Slowly, he rose from the flames. Once fully on the field, he opened his eyes to reveal yellow corneas with red irises. Then he swept his staff in front of him, instantly destroying the flames around him.

"Thanks to my special summoning my Dark Magician of Chaos, I can now return one magic card from my Graveyard, so I choose… my Cost Down!"

Johnson seemed shocked by Illidan picking that card. He then started chuckling, saying "You must be loosing it Mr. Stormrage. You could have brought back Monster Reborn, but instead you decided to get Cost Down. What a fool you are!"

Illidan only smiled and then said "Why bother with Monster Reborn when I can play something better. Now I play Cost Down, and I discard my Perfect Machine King in order to lower the level of all my monsters in my hand by another two stars. Now I summon a powerful monster that I won from Noa. I summon Yamata Dragon (2600/3100 + 500 3600) in attack mode!" Suddenly in a huge blaze appeared on the field and a 12 headed snake appeared.

"It's time I show you just how strong my faith is in my friends Johnson! Dark Magician of Chaos, attack his Catapult Turtle with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The mighty mage then pointed his staff at the reptilian launch pad. He then shot a huge blast of dark energy at the turtle, which was easily blown away by the powerful attack.

"Next I'll invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack his life points with Chaos Slice! This one's for Mai!" Again, the mage brought his staff up into an attack position. He then made a sweeping motion and an energy blade came flying from it. The blade easily struck Johnson, making him slide back a little. Lightening then formed around Johnson and began to strike him. He cried out in pain, screaming in anguish from the torture. Finally, the lightening died down, leaving him smoking in his business suit.

The then chuckled and straightened his glasses. "Is that it Mr. Stormrage?" he said in a confident voice.

Illidan only smiled and said "No, it's not. Now Yamata Dragon, attack him directly with Ancient Flame!" The twelve heads of the snake then opened up. Fire appeared in each mouth and finally each fired their blast. The flames combined to become a large flaming ball. The blast struck Johnson, making him yet again slide back. Then the lightening started forming, instantly shocking him greatly. Johnson cried out in pain, but finally the bolts died down. Johnson was on his knees, still smoking.

Slowly, he rose and smiled, saying "That was interesting, but I'm far from done Mr. Stormrage. Have any closing arguments?"

Illidan only chuckled and replied with "In fact, I do. Thanks to Yamata Dragon's special ability, I can now draw till I hold five cards in my hand. Now I draw three new cards. Next I'll set two cards face down. Since I'm ending my move, Yamata Dragon's other special effect kicks in. He returns to my hand at the end phase, so return my dragon!" The large dragon then returned to the card image on Illidan's Duel Disk. Illidan then picked up the card and returned it to his hand.

"That shall end my turn." (Johnson 2100, Illidan 3300)

"Good, cause it's my move. First, I gain 500 life points for drawing thanks to my Solemn Wishes. Next, I gain another 500 life points thanks to my Life Absorbing Machine since I used my Deck Master last turn."

Illidan slightly chuckled. "Almost even now aren't we Johnson?"

Johnson only smirked and said "Not for long though. Now I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards, but also I gain 500 life points thanks to my Solemn Wishes. Next I play the magic card known as Poison of the Old Man. This magic card grants me yet another 1200 life points."

Marie only let out a small gasp as she watched Johnson's life points go up slowly. Now Illidan once again had less life points than Johnson. Now he had 1500 more life points than Illidan.

"Come on Illidan, hang in there." she said silently.

Johnson only laughed as his life points rose to a total of 4800. "Well Mr. Stormrage, you're at a disadvantage once again. Now to drive another nail in your coffin. I summon Granadora (1900/700 + 500 1200) in attack mode." A monster with an odd looking face appeared. It looked like a huge lizard with large spikes sticking out of it in odd places.

"Now Granadora's special effect kicks in. When summoned, I gain 1000 life points." The monster started glowing with a white light, which caused Johnson's life points to increase by 1000.

"It's time I put you in your place Mr. Stormrage. I pay 1000 life points to activate my Deck Master's special ability, which as you know is called Clear the Courtroom!" Johnson's life point counter then dropped by 1000. This triggered the bolts of lightening. They began to sizzle on Johnson's body, causing him to scream out in pain. Finally, the bolts died down, leaving a smoking Johnson. Part of his suit was slightly even burnt this time.

He smiled and straightened his glasses. He then proceeded to say "Well, now that that's over, Judge Man, blow away Illidan's pathetic Dark Magician of Chaos with Clear the Courtroom!" The powerful judge then threw his gavel at the mage. The mage was easily struck and yelled in pain as he was blown away. Illidan growled lightly as his favorite monster was taken down.

"Now for Clear the Courtroom's second effect. You lose 500 life points due to that move." bragged Johnson. Illidan's life points then dropped and sweat formed on his forehead. He knew that meant one of his friends was about to suffer more torture.

"I shall choose Joey himself to suffer this pain, muwhahaha!" said Johnson as he pointed at Joey himself.

Bolts of lightening began to form around Joey then. Joey yelled in agony as he was struck repeatedly by the bolts. Finally, the bolts of lightening died down. Joey was twitching still from the electricity.

He finally looked up with half glazed eyes and said "You can still win Illidan! I believe in you!" Illidan nodded while Johnson laughed.

"You win? You should be more concerned about how you'll be spending your days in the Shadow Realm! Now Granadora, attack him directly with Spike Tail Strike!" The huge lizard then charged Illidan.

Illidan only chuckled. "What's so funny Mr. Stormrage?" asked Johnson.

Illidan only laughed again and said "Your foolishness Johnson. It's unbelievable that you'd attack me when I have two face down cards. Now I reveal my trap, Waboku! This will protect my life points for this turn." Three female mages in blue then appeared. They held out their hands and the lizard stopped in it's tracks, being forced back to Johnson's side of the field.

Johnson slightly growled and said "I end my move then. Give it your best shot Mr. Stormrage." (Johnson 4800, Illidan 2800)

Looking at his deck, Illidan only hoped something good would appear. He drew his card and brought it up to look at it. He let out a gasp when he saw The Winged Dragon of Ra was the card he had picked up. He then looked at his field and hand. He had Blade Knight in his hand, but summoning him wouldn't help too much. He had a face down card as well, but it wouldn't be enough to help summon Ra.

Illidan needed at least three monsters to summon Ra. He could only muster one to two monsters at this point. Illidan sighed, but then realized he did have another option. This option though was dangerous and would cause his friends pain. "_If I used my Deck Master to bring back Dark Magician of Chaos, I could return Monster Reborn, and then I'd be able to summon my three monsters. But if I use my Deck Master, I'll loose 1000 life points, and with my friends receiving the damage, I can't take that risk._"

He sighed once again and looked up at his friends on the wall with a sorrowful look. He couldn't dare ask them to make that kind of sacrifice. He would have to find another way.

Suddenly, Illidan heard a mental calling that sounded like Joey's voice. It said "_DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP NOW ILLIDAN!_"

Illidan looked up to see Joey concentrating. It then hit Illidan. It was his mental link that him and Yami had set up before the final 10-way duel. It was still there, he'd just forgotten about it.

Illidan then concentrated and said back over the link "_I can't do it though Joey. If I do, one of you all will get hurt. I don't want to accidentally hurt, or even possibly kill one of you. I couldn't forgive myself for doing that on purpose._"

Joey replied back with "_Illidan, if you don't fight with all you have, we'll be destroyed before you even get to Gozaburo. We want you to win, even if it does cost us pain, and possibly even our lives. Once you win that crown, you can fix all this, but it takes you winning in order to do that. So that means you have to beat this slime of a lawyer! Do what you have to do in order to win this duel!_"

Illidan realized Joey was right. In order to fight Gozaburo, he had to defeat this associate. That meant doing whatever it took to win this duel. That was the worst part though, seeing how he hated to hurt his friends.

He thought for a moment and finally replied to Joey over the link with "_Alright, I'll fight as hard as I can. I'll do what I can._"

Joey replied with "_You'd better, or we'll all kick your butt for not trying._"

Illidan then returned his focus back to the duel. Johnson was impatiently tapping his foot.

"Are you going to take your turn today or not!" he said in an irritated voice.

Illidan looked at his hand and decided to make his move.

"Here goes. First I invoke my Deck Master's second special ability. At a cost of 1000 life points, I can revive my Dark Magician of Chaos from my Removed From Play pile."

Johnson only let loose a volley of laughter. "You'd actually give up life points, even though you know the consequences?"

Illidan sadly nodded his head.

"You're a fool!" declared Johnson then.

Illidan only then said "I give up my 1000 life points now."

"Very foolish Mr. Stormrage. Now the one that shall suffer for your foolishness is Marie!" Johnson declared while pointing a finger at her.

Illidan could only watch in horror as lightening bolts then formed around her, shocking her greatly. She screamed in pain, trying hard to withstand the bolts. Finally, the lightening subsided, but she was panting. Smoke was slightly pouring off her as her body slightly twitched from the electrical strikes.

She then looked up at Illidan and said "You can do it Illidan! I believe in you!"

Illidan nodded and then turned his attention back to the duel. "Marie's sacrifice wasn't in vain, for now I special summon my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600 + 500 3100)!" The mighty mage in black armor then reappeared on the field.

"Now thanks to his return, I can return one magic card from my Graveyard, and I choose Monster Reborn! Next I play Monster Reborn, resurrecting a monster that you have no right to use at all! I bring back Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000 + 500 2500)!"

Johnson only opened his mouth in shock as the powerful pink skinned angel reappeared on the field, except it was on Illidan's side this time.

"That's not all though Johnson. I now reveal my face down trap card, Call of the Haunted. I use this to resurrect the powerful monster I won from Keith. I revive Perfect Machine King (2700/1500 + 500 2000)!" The huge machine monster then made it's appearance on the field. It let loose a mechanical groan, which caused Johnson to slightly tremble.

"One more thing Johnson. It's time now that I demonstrate to your boss that I do have what it takes to face him. I sacrifice Dark Magician of Chaos, Guardian Angel Joan, and Perfect Machine King to summon the most powerful Egyptian God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra (2800 + 2800 + 2700 8300/3100 + 2500 + 2000 7600)!" The tower seemed to shake at this declaration. All three monsters then glowed and disappeared.

Suddenly, a blinding light then formed on the field. Slowly, through the darkness of the Shadow Realm lowered a large sphere of light. Johnson was standing there in shock and trembled with fear at this sight.

"Now I shall release Ra from that sphere to help me win this duel." Illidan said. He then closed his eyes and remembered the chant to summon Ra.

Slowly, he said "Great Beast of the sky please hear my cry, transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. Envelope the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe. Appear in this shadow game as I call your name... Winged Dragon of Ra!" The huge sphere then began to transform as Illidan was reciting the chant. Slowly, the powerful Egyptian God made his appearance, finally fully unlocked from the sphere. It roared loudly at Johnson, striking terror into his heart.

"It's time I finish this duel once and for all. Farewell Johnson. Winged Dragon of Ra, attack Johnson's Granadora with your Blaze Cannon!" The large dragon roared as a ball of energy formed on it's back. Slowly, the energy transferred to his mouth and the huge blast began to form in Ra's mouth. Then Ra finally built up his power enough and spat the huge blast at the spiked lizard. The lizard was instantly blown away by Ra's awesome power.

The remainder of the blast then struck Johnson, causing him to scream in pain. At the same time, the rules of the Shadow Game kicked in, causing lightening to form around him as well. In essence, he was getting a double whammy. Johnson was screaming rather loudly till finally the flames of Ra's attack ended. About that time, the lightening finally stopped sizzling him. When the smoke cleared, there on the floor was Johnson, but his clothes were ripped, and it appeared he had metal.

"What is that?" Illidan asked in true curiosity.

Slowly, the remains of Johnson's body rose. There stood a robot like Johnson. It appeared like half of his face was missing and what was left was a robot's face.

Johnson only laughed and said with a metallic voice "What, does this frighten you Mr. Stormrage?"

Illidan was truly freaked out by the look.

Gozaburo only laughed though from his throne. "It appears you've failed me again Johnson. You know the price you must pay now." Gozaburo said with an evil grin on his face.

Johnson panicked and tried to explain himself, but before he could, he was grabbed by the darkness of the Shadow Realm. Slowly, he was dragged into the darkness, fully disappearing. Gozaburo only laughed evilly as Johnson finally slipped into the shadows.

"Well done Illidan. I see you can summon all three Egyptian God Cards. That is excellent to see. You will face your opponent tomorrow still though." Gozaburo said with a semi-pleased look on his face.

Illidan only had a stern look on his face. "How about you face me now so we can finish this up? Enough of this pussy footing around. I want my friends free, so face me now!" demanded Illidan.

Gozaburo only laughed and said "No, I'll make you wait a bit longer, muwhahahaha!"

Suddenly the Shadow Realm started fading away then. Illidan watched as all his friends were fading away with the Shadow Realm. He looked up at Marie and longed to have her free.

"I LOVE YOU MARIE! I WILL FREE YOU SOON!" he cried out to her.

She nodded and replied with tears in her eyes "I love you too Illidan. I know you'll free us all!"

Then she faded away. Gozaburo only laughed at Illidan who was nearly heartbroken that Marie was gone again. He turned angrily towards Gozaburo who was already lowering himself into the tower.

"YOU'LL FACE ME SOON ENOUGH GOZABURO, AND THEN YOU'LL PAY FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE TO THEM ALL!" he screamed at Gozaburo.

Gozaburo only let loose an insane laughter as he slowly disappeared. Then the remaining two associates and the judge stepped onto the other platform and were lowered in as well.

Illidan then slowly walked to the elevator and went back to his room.


	125. Chapter 125: Learning the Reasons

**Yawns Hey everyone. I'm so tired… I have to get up a bit earlier than usual the next two days in order to get off slightly earlier today, and to make up for yesterday (we got off slightly earlier, only to have to make it up). At any rate, there is good news. I talked to that other company, and the guy said I got the job. He's sent out my letter of offering, and it should get here today or tomorrow. Then I have to send it back out. I'm thinking about just turning in my two weeks either Wednesday or Thursday this week, then take a week off in between starting my new job and leaving this one. It should be fun. Anyways, time to get back to what I came here to do. Time for some reviews.**

**Strawberry Cake: He sure did. He lost all his spunk, seemingly. Watches another boulder come flying in, this one with Ryon strapped to it. Ryon: "I just learned not to poke fun at Marik." Ah, I see that now.**

**Fire Princess: Why give it to him? You could just pay the half demon bodyguard and have protection for a while. Sniffs air and shutters at the smell of fish.**

**Brianna Ishtar: It's a very appropriate dress for a wedding, and a funeral, lol. Heck, it could be a combo deal knowing Ryon, hehe.**

**sweetxokissesxo: Yep, violent indeed. Looks at a wide-eyed Ryon staring down Ryou. Ryon: "I wish to hire your services!" Do you have money? Ryon: "Well, not at the moment…" Sorry, I don't do freebies. Pay up front, or no services. Hears Ryon mumbling something about damn cheap half demon. I HEARD THAT! Crackles claws. If Ryou don't kill you, perhaps I will.**

**Ryon Nakura: No problem, lol. Oh no, not the crazy fangirls! Runs and hides and watches them picking apart Ryon and Ryou.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Don't feel bad, I haven't watched that movie either, lol. I just didn't care to go see it.**

**thehyperactivecow: No problem. I figured you had headed off somewhere for a while, and wasn't too worried. Hope you had a good time. Thanks for the comments though. I'm glad you liked it, and don't worry, you'll make it through the stack eventually.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, he took out the lawyer thoroughly. Yep, now he has shown he can summon all three Egyptian God Cards, so Gozaburo knows now he's in for a real fight.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, poor Johnson is outta there, probably forever due that he's in the Shadow Realm, lol. Yay, you'll be a year older.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: No, I don't mind at all if someone IM's me. I'm always glad to get someone to talk to. Just let me know who you are, lol, so I'll have a clue who I'm talking to (I have too many people I don't remember on my list already, hehe). Thanks, and hopefully all will continue going well.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Johnson: "Come with me if you wish to not be sued." Watches Metal Overlord 2.0 then obliterate Terminator Johnson. Lol, I kind of liked T3, but yeah, it did mess with the plot of T2. I guess pretty much, as the tin man himself said, they only delayed it rather than stopped it. Anyways, back to the review. Indeed, the lover of machines is next. Possibly he'll bring out some new machines. I had thought about that, but then I came up with something else. Meh, my thoughts on Shadow Games weren't too great originally. The one with Johnson was probably my better ideas, but the others were kind of copies of past duels. Hehe, I wouldn't worry about the vitamins. She has plenty to worry about without them, lol.**

**Well, that's all for this morning. Yawns again Damn I'm tired. Sighs Only a few more weeks of this company, then I get to try my hand at the new company. I hope that one works out much better. Anyways, I gotta run and get ready for work. Later all.**

**Chapter 125**

Once back in his main office, Gozaburo awaited his two remaining associates. After five or ten minutes, they came in. As usual, they could tell Gozaburo was in one of those moods.

Once they walked in, Gozaburo used his Millennium Crown's power to slam the door shut and then grabbed both of them with it's power and pushed them against the wall. Both gasped for breath, for the power of the crown was crushing them.

"FOOLS! YOU SWORE THIS TIME YOU'D SUCCEED, BUT LOOK AT THE RESULTS!" yelled Gozaburo in full anger.

Both were still gasping for breath as Gozaburo continued to press harder.

"YOUR COMRADES FAILED ME, AND NOW ILLIDAN HAS LEARNED HE CAN CONTROL ALL THREE GOD CARDS! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES?" he screamed.

Both were grasping their throats, for they could not say a thing due to the lack of oxygen. Gozaburo then released the two of them, letting them both fall to the floor, each panting for air.

Finally, after catching their breath, the Nesbitt said in a strained voice "Sir, forgive our comrades, for they were weak. We will not fail you like they did."

Gozaburo only snarled "That's what Crump and Johnson said, yet each failed me. Why should I believe that you two won't fail me?"

Still in great fear, Lector replied "Unlike those three, we have the skills necessary to take down Illidan. Plus, we have a plan, if you allow us to proceed with it."

Gozaburo cocked an eyebrow at this new development. "What kind of plan?" he said in a still rather irritated voice.

Lector then cleared his voice and said "I propose that you allow me and Nesbitt to duel Illidan together. Make it a two on one duel, thus putting Illidan in a position to where he can't win. Against the two of us, he'll surely lose!"

Gozaburo softly chuckled and said "You think I'd actually put him in a handicap match?"

"Sir, it would be the best way to for sure eliminate him. Also, even if he won, which he won't, he'd be totally exhausted from the duel, thus making him an easy target for you." added Nesbitt.

Gozaburo sat there, thinking about the proposition. "It is an interesting proposition you two have brought before me. You do realize though that you two would have to use team work to fully destroy him though, right?"

Both Nesbitt and Lector nodded, agreeing that they would. "We have already talked strategy, and we know we could do it. Just please give us a chance sir." Lector said in confidence.

Gozaburo seemed to ponder if this was a truly wise decision. Finally, he laughed and said "Very well, I will make it happen. But know this! If you fail, you both will be spending the rest of eternity in the Shadow Realm!"

Both nodded to that threat. "Now leave me. I must decide the type of Shadow Game you'll be playing. Dismissed!" declared Gozaburo.

Nesbitt and Lector then walked out of Gozaburo's office to go build a strategy.

Elsewhere, Illidan arrived at his room. He sighed upon sitting down. The things he had just seen when he'd won disturbed him. Johnson had appeared to be a robot after Ra had struck him with it's full force. Was it possible that all his opponents that Gozaburo had set up for him to face were truly robots? He sat there pondering those thoughts when he remembered something.

"Johnson had said it was Noa's fault as well. Is it possible that Noa made them that way?" he said aloud to himself.

He then realized there might be one way to find out. Getting into a comfortable meditation position, he began to meditate. Using his Millennium Key, he began to seek the mental link that he had with Yugi and Yami. Finally, he found Yami's presence.

"_Yami, can you hear me?_" he said across the mental link.

Within the shadows, Yami moved slightly. He heard his name being called in his mind, and realized immediately who it was.

"_Illidan?_" he called back softly across his mental link.

Illidan smiled and replied "_Yes, it's me. I'm glad you can hear me. I was worried due that you're in the Shadow Realm, or even near the Shadow Realm, you wouldn't be able to hear me._"

Yami responded with "_It is difficult to do this, but I can communicate with you for a short time._"

Illidan sighed and said "_Ok. I have a question. Johnson was some kind of robot. He blamed Noa for that. Do you have any idea about what Johnson was talking about?_"

Yami thought for a moment and then said "_It may have had something to do with when we were in Noa's virtual world. I'll share the memories I have of that place, so you'll maybe have a clue._"

Suddenly then a memory of Yami's appeared to Illidan over the link. There he saw their first confrontation with the Big 5 and Noa. Yami and Yugi were pitted in a duel against the first of them, Gansley. Next, Tea had been forced to duel against Krump. The next Big 5 member was Johnson vs. Joey. After that, Duke, Serenity, and Tristan faced off against Nesbitt. Finally, Seto fought against Lector. In all five duels, the result was the same.

Each duel the Big 5 member would lose, except for Nesbitt. He defeated Tristan, but technically lost overall. Still, he kept Tristan's so called body for himself. Noa had been quite disappointed by the Big 5's losses and gave them one more chance to win some bodies. The Big 5 all went into Tristan's body. Each would rotate in on different turns. Joey and Yami had faced off against them, and in the end, won the duel. It had been Joey that had literally saved the day in that duel thanks to some fast acting moves.

"So, that's why Johnson blamed Joey for so much of that loss." Illidan said with a chuckle.

Next, a scene of Seto facing off with Noa came up. Noa revealed that he didn't have a real body, and that he was stuck in the virtual world. Seto and Noa then dueled to prove who the best person to run Kaiba Corp. was. Seto nearly had the duel won, but Noa then revealed he had taken control of Mokuba. Noa then used Mokuba as a shield to keep himself from losing the duel. Seto knew he could never hurt his little brother, so he backed down, allowing Noa to recover. Noa then used his powerful Deck Master, Shinato's Ark, to boost his life points to unbelievable heights. Noa then began a ferocious assault on Seto, nearly wiping him out. Seto kept trying to reach out to Mokuba, desperately attempting to free his brother from Noa's mind control. The others tried as well, and Yugi suggested to Seto to do what he had done to help save Joey. Yugi had used Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon that Joey had given him to snap him out of Marik's control. Yugi hoped the same would help Seto. Seto continued to draw and talk to Mokuba, reminding him that the two of them had defeated their adopted father, Gozaburo. Finally, Seto drew the card he needed to fully break Noa's control over Mokuba. He then revealed it to be Blue-Eyes White Dragon. With the sight of Blue-Eyes, Mokuba broke free from Noa. Seto then finally attacked Noa back with his mighty dragon, but knew that wasn't enough to win the duel. He then played a face down that he knew would win the duel, and let Noa take his turn. Noa pointed out that Seto had no chance to win due the difference in their life points, but Seto said he was right. He couldn't win if he was to drain Noa of life points. So instead, he used a trap card known as Last Turn. The trap pitted one monster of Noa's against Seto's Blue-Eyes. Whichever was standing would then win the duel. Noa used his Deck Master, and in a furious attack, the mighty dragon attacked Noa's Deck Master. The attack soon enough though appeared to have been the worst thing Seto could have done. Noa's true Deck Master, Shinato, King of a Higher Plane, was then revealed. His true Deck Master had more attack points than Seto's dragon, and easily crushed it with a simple blast. Seto lost technically due to that.

Mokuba then ran to his brother, but Noa turned both to stone before they reached one another. They were frozen right in front of one another, to never reach one another. This was too much for Yugi and Yami to take and both challenged Noa to a duel. They said Seto would have won if not for Noa's controlling Mokuba. Yami then declared that Noa was nothing more than a child and would never understand people. Then Yami prompted to take on the remainder of Seto's life points and use his and Seto's decks combined to defeat Noa. He said if Noa wanted a real challenge, he'd allow him to take Seto's place and they'd continue. Noa accepted, saying once he crushed Yugi, he'd truly prove his strength. So, Yugi and Noa began to duel. Yami had many close calls, but kept dueling his hardest. Even when Noa got mad at the others for cheering Yami on and began turning them to stone, Yami never quit.

Yami continued to fight with all he had till he was exhausted and knocked to the ground by one attack. He was about to give up when Yugi came to him in spirit form and showed him the inside of Yami's mind. He showed him a room in his mind that contained all his recent memories. The others, including Seto and Mokuba, urged him to get up and fight on, that the duel wasn't over yet. Seto even said that Yami had his deck and it would win him this duel. Yami then opened his eyes back up and stood up. Noa was surprised that Yugi would rise again to fight. Noa had over 10000 life points, making him almost indestructible. Yami said he'd never give up and drew Card of Sanctity, allowing each of them to draw till they each held 6 cards in their hand. As Yami prepared to draw, he got a vote of confidence by 6 of his friends. Each gave him a card, encouraging him to fight on and beat Noa. Yami then stared at his new hand and said thanks to his friends, he can now win this duel. He then brought back Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon that Noa had destroyed earlier in the duel. Then he brought forth Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, easily crushing Noa's only monster out. Then he used De-Fusion to separate the three dragons and blast Noa directly, dropping Noa down to 0 life points, and winning the duel. Noa had no choice but to free everyone from stone and thought it was all Seto's fault for why his father, Gozaburo, had abandoned him in this digital world.

Noa then attempted to take over Yami's body, but Yami's Millennium Puzzle helped stop the attempt. During the attempt, Noa saw images of Yami's past, while Yami saw images of when Noa had captured the group. After the attempt, the others stood behind Yami, making sure he was fine. Suddenly then, the sky darkened and Gozaburo's head appeared in the clouds in the sky. He told Noa he was disappointed by him for the last time, and then revealed his plan for world domination. He would take over the entire by putting them into the virtual world where he was ruler. This was his grand plan, and to do it, he'd use his ability to access many of the world's networks. When Gozaburo had said this, Noa attempted to get the others out of the virtual world. The access point he thought he could do it at wouldn't allow him. Gozaburo had sealed the world off from the real world though.

Noa seemed to go mad, saying that his father was bringing the whole world in to be with him, thus making them one big happy family. Mokuba tried to bring Noa back down from insanity, and it seemed to work. Noa then said there was one other way out, and took them there. Instead, he had them swimming around in their own memories while he took Mokuba to another location, which was an arcade. Yami had learned this through a talk later with Noa. There, he told Mokuba that the portal to the real world was in a game. He was about to steal Mokuba's body when Mokuba remembered Noa couldn't go with them. He then told Noa that Seto could make him a robot body. It wouldn't be the best, but it'd be something. Noa was shocked that Mokuba would say that, but then decided to proceed. He told Mokuba that the portal was on a dancing game platform. As they stepped on, Mokuba was asking where when Noa screamed "RIGHT HERE!" and then took over Mokuba's body. He then awoke in the real world and began to set things in motion to destroy the submarine where the virtual world generator was. He had a satellite that his father had launched target the sub and set a timer. He prepared to leave, but couldn't get Mokuba off his mind. As he got into a helicopter to take off, he suddenly realized what he had done. He had doomed the brother that actually cared about him to a death.

Noa then frantically raced back in, only to find that the controls to the satellite had been destroyed by Marik's evil side. Noa then found another set of controls and contacted all the others in the virtual world. In the virtual world at the time, Yugi and Joey were summoning monsters to fight off monsters Gozaburo had sent to attack them. The others were behind them, all but Seto that is, who went to find Gozaburo. At Kaiba Corp, Seto was challenged to a duel by Gozaburo to see who would get his body. Of course, Seto accepted. Gozaburo was using Exodia Necross to fight Seto with. Suddenly, the announcement all over the virtual world was heard by Noa. He warned them that the world would collapse soon and he was going to try to get them all out.

Gozaburo was furious as expected, but Seto challenged him to continue the duel. Yugi and the others finally made it to the arcade and two at a time, they began to leave. Finally, it was just Joey and Yugi left. Joey went first so Yugi could cover him in case anymore monsters came in. Once Joey was through, Yugi turned to leave. About that time, Noa contacted him and asked him to save Seto. Yugi said he would, and raced off to Kaiba Corp. Meanwhile, Seto continued to duel. Gozaburo's monster had one vulnerability, and Seto finally figured it out. He then used that point to attack, and Seto won the duel. Gozaburo was outraged and tried to take Seto's body anyways. Yugi saved him at the last second and the two ran to the top of Kaiba Corp. Once there, they both were cornered by Gozaburo. Rather than get captured, they both jumped and Noa created another portal to get them out. They awoke in the real world to find Mokuba's body still in a Cyber Pod.

According to Mokuba, he was talking to Noa, and Noa said his farewells. He then, according to Noa, returned to the virtual world and stopped Gozaburo from escaping. Unfortunately, just as the world was being destroyed, Gozaburo found a way to escape, and dragged Noa with him by accident. The next thing Noa remembered was he was in the real world somehow. There he saw his father, Gozaburo. He soon learned from his father that he had saved the both of them, and that he had even created new bodies for the two of them. They were semi robot, semi organic bodies. Underneath synthetic skin was the true heart of a robot. Sure, they did require real food to keep their organic bodies alive, but they also had a power source to run their robotic side. Noa, horrified that his father had even survived, declared he wanted nothing to do with him and fled.

From what Noa had told Yami, he had guessed that possibly his father had then rebuilt the Duel Tower, and had brought back the Big 5 into the real world with the same technology he had used on himself and Noa. Then the memories Yami had been showing him disappeared.

Illidan now understood why Johnson had looked like a robot. He was truly a robot with an organic body cover. In essence, he was a cyborg. Yami then seemed to grow weaker in the mental link.

Concerned, Illidan said "_Are you alright Yami?_"

Yami waited a moment or two and finally said "_Yes, I am, but showing my memories and using this mental link have strained me. I'm weak now._"

Illidan then replied "_Ok, I'll let you be then. You need your strength. Besides, I must rest up for tomorrow. I have a feeling Gozaburo will be at it hard again._"

Yami chuckled and said "_Yes, I have that feeling as well. Farewell my friend, and don't worry, we'll be here for you tomorrow._"

Illidan slightly chuckled and said "_Yeah. Get some rest Yami. Good bye._"

Then he stopped using the mental link, and returned to normal. He then stood and stretched. He quickly looked at the clock to see it was already midnight. He quickly prepared for bed and then slipped in and fell into a deep sleep, hoping that his friends and Marie were alright.


	126. Chapter 126: Vanishing, Pt 1

**Yo everyone. Yawns I hate earlier mornings. True, it's only 30 minutes, but damn, those 30 minutes seem to make the difference. Oh well, at least I'm up. Glad everyone thought the last chapter was good. I thought I'd recap the virtual world in a chapter, mostly to catch people up on it if they hadn't watched it. Plus, Illidan had no clue what had happened there, so now he knows. At any rate, time to get down to answering the reviews.**

**x-knight20: It's alright, I understand. It happens from time to time. I got the job, but I just have to sign the letter of offering when it comes. Thanks though.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Actually, I looked it up, and it is an "s" instead of a "z." Lol, I knew those people on my list, but sometimes it's been so long that I have no clue who it was. Where I used to duel all the time, I have a list of former opponents. I need to really go through and weed through my list, but that's a job for some day.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, a recap, lol. Thanks for the congrats.**

**Berry Kisses: Thanks for the compliment. Yes, that room is getting full. You'll get used to the smell, eventually.**

**Ryon Nakura: Poor Ryou. I don't think his cheeks can take much more of that. Looks behind self to see Ryon hiding behind there. Why are you hiding behind me? Ryon: "Save me! They're after me!" Smirks evilly and steps aside. OH GIRLS! Watches heard of crazed fangirls running in Ryon's direction. Ryon: "YIPES!"**

**Brianna Ishtar: Lol, at least he got you an evil outfit. And yes, we have to cater to everyone, hehe.**

**sweetxokissesxo: It only gets more and more crowded from here on out. At the least the guards are smart enough to just allow me entrance to visit and then leave. They know better than to try to throw me in forever. Could be due that I carved one up the time they tried that.**

**Fire Princess: Anytime, hehe. I always accept money anytime. I also accept debit, credit, or checks. Sees the person Ryou threw a can out the window at coming. Uh, Ryou, you have company, and he don't look happy.**

**Strawberry Cake: Lol, that sounds weird to say indeed. Poor Ryou, thought he was the cool one. Watches Marik banging on the door. Marik: "Oh Ryon, I have a little friend that wants to say hello!" Marik pulls out his machine gun. I think I'll stay back for this one.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Thanks. I tried to make sure I caught everything that I could remember, plus I looked at the episode guide to make sure. Hmm, that does sound like nice people, lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yes, a 2 on 1 duel. He'll hopefully be fine in this duel. I figured I'd make them half and half, seeing how Gozaburo had access to good technology. Lol, I think I had been watching the Terminator also, so that may have been where I got that idea.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, it's Lector and Nesbitt, hehe. It's alright though. Yes, it's no surprise that they can't go it alone, hence need an edge against Illidan. Actually, Lector's Deck Master only negated traps that I know of. But yeah, the two combined should be a tough team to take on. But yes, Illidan has his work cut out for him this time though. Yeah, the Shadow Games weren't too important, but still, I thought about originally doing all new games, but time I got this far, I let it go.**

**Well, that's all I have this morning. Yawns I hate getting up early. At least I get to sleep in Saturday, hopefully… maybe. I'm due to see Cindy that day (she's coming home Friday). Then I get to spend Sunday with her while taking her back. Anyways, I'm done this morning, so you all enjoy this chapter. Later.**

**Chapter 126**

Illidan woke up to a loud buzzing as usual and slapped the stupid clock off. Slowly, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. For once in a long time, he didn't have any nightmares, any visions of the past, any dreams at all actually. He then dragged himself to the bathroom and took his usual shower and then dressed in his favorite set of clothes. They were his black shirt and blue jeans. This shirt was the one he had been wearing during one of the special dates he and Marie had had. In a way, it was his lucky shirt. After dressing and taming down his hair with a brush, he went and ate some breakfast. He had some waffles dripping with some thick maple syrup.

After finishing, he brushed his teeth and sat down to run through is deck. Finally happy with his deck, he then slipped it into his deck holder. He then glanced at the time and saw it was already 7:30. Slowly, he picked up his Duel Disk, knowing that after this day, he'd have all of Gozaburo's associates beaten, meaning he could move onto Gozaburo himself. "_Finally, I'll have a chance to free my friends and Marie, and end this nightmare._" He then strapped on his Duel Disk and headed for the elevator.

Illidan arrived on top to find a rather breezy morning. The sun was covered by thick cloud cover, and it looked like rain for sure. Gozaburo and his group had yet to arrive. The judge was there already, nervously checking his watch. Looking around, Illidan saw how the weather seemed to set the tone for the duel. Before he could ask the judge where everyone was, Illidan heard something.

There rose Gozaburo's throne with his two associates on their usual platform. Gozaburo grinned evilly at Illidan as the two associates walked forward.

Gozaburo then cleared his throat and said "Today Illidan, this duel will be different. Instead of facing just one opponent, you'll face two. It shall be a two on one duel! Of course, I can't force you to take this duel, so you must decide if you want it or not."

Illidan only smirked slightly, and said "You're desperate to get rid of me now, aren't you?"

Gozaburo only chuckled and said "It wasn't my idea. These two wish to duel you as a team, so who am I to get in their way?"

Illidan only laughed and pointed at the two associates, saying "If that's what it takes for them to feel comfortable in a duel against me, then so be it, but before I accept, what are the rules?"

Gozaburo smiled evilly, knowing Illidan would accept now. "The rules are simple. You start with 8000 life points while they each start with 4000. The first to go will be Nesbitt, then you, then Lector. No one can attack on the first turn of course, and once Lector's turn is over, its Nesbitt's again. Sound fair?" questioned Gozaburo.

Illidan only chuckled and said "Yes. I accept then." Gozaburo only began to laugh with evil in his voice. Both Nesbitt and Lector then stepped forward.

The judge then came forward and said "Please gentlemen, shuffle your decks and then shake hands."

Illidan, Lector, and Nesbitt then shuffled their decks. Once finished, all three placed their decks in their Duel Disk slots. Then Illidan shook Nesbitt's hand first, then Lectors. Both grinned great big, thinking they had it all won before the duel started.

The judge then said "Please go to your starting positions and activate your Duel Disks. Then bring out your Deck Masters and draw your first five cards. Then Mr. Nesbitt may begin."

All three slowly proceeded to their places. Once there, they each simultaneously activated their Duel Disks. Each lighted up with a glow as life points were quickly put on their counters.

Nesbitt then cried out "My powerful Robotic Knight (1600/1800), join me in this battle!" A machine monster with many metals and a uniform like armor appeared. He had an admiral's hat on and appeared to be ready to command many machine monsters.

"Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500), I call you forth to help me win this fight!" Illidan's large soldier then appeared beside him, wielding his usual sword and shield.

"I call forth my business partner, Jinzo (2400/1500)!" Lector's cyborg then appeared on the field beside him. The cyborg then crossed his arms in his traditional stance.

"_Great, he has Jinzo, meaning our traps are useless. Not a bad strategy though, but bad for me._"

Each then drew their first five cards and said "LET'S DUEL!"

Before Nesbitt could draw though, Gozaburo let out loud a large amount of laughter. Suddenly, the sky darkened even more as the Shadow Realm appeared around the tower.

Illidan looked around to see his friends slowly returning. Each appeared fine from what Illidan could tell. "_Thank goodness._"

"This Shadow Game shall be a bit more interesting Illidan. As each of you lose life points, a portion of your body shall disappear till there is nothing left when you lose the duel, muwhahaha!" shouted Gozaburo.

Illidan only snickered. "Is that the best you can come up with Gozaburo? I mean, I've seen worse Shadow Games played by children in ancient times. You're really starting to slip in these future times."

Gozaburo snarled loudly, saying "Don't mock my power over the Shadows!"

Illidan only shrugged and said "Let's hurry this up so I can beat your boss."

Nesbitt drew his card and smirked. "You was a fool to accept Illidan, and I'm about to show you why. I first summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode!" The powerful blue and yellow robot then appeared on the field, wielding long cannon barrels.

"Great, you use a machine deck too. Just lovely." commented Illidan.

Nesbitt only smirked again and said "It'll be your down fall Mr. Stormrage. Now I play the magic card known as Frontline Base! This continuous magic card allows me to special summon one level 4 or lower union type monster from my hand once a turn. So, I choose to special summon my Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300) in attack mode!" A powerful blue and yellow tank then appeared on the field beside X-Head Cannon.

Illidan growled lightly. "_Great, now he has two out of three pieces of XYZ-Dragon Cannon._"

"Now I activate Z-Metal Tank's special ability. I use his ability to transform him into an equip card, and equip him to my X-Head Cannon, thus raising my X-Head Cannon's points by 600 (2400/2100)!" The tank and the cannon creature took to the air and the large robot connected up with the tank, increasing the robot's power.

"_Odd he didn't fuse them. Then again, he had no reason to fuse them yet I guess._" Illidan silently thought.

"Now I'll place one card face down and end my move." (Nesbitt 4000, Illidan 8000, Lector 4000)

"Good, cause it's my move!" declared Illidan. He quickly drew his card and looked at his hand. He had his three Magnet Warriors, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, Queen's Knight, and his newly drawn Scapegoat. "_Hmm, I could summon Valkyrion, but with that tin can out, I can't afford to, so I'll just play it safe for now._"

"First, I send my three Magnet Warriors to the Graveyard, thus allowing me to special summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850)!" The three Magnet Warriors then appeared on the field. Slowly, they disassembled themselves and then reassembled themselves as Valkyrion.

"I'm not done yet though. Now I activate Valkyrion's special effect, allowing me to send him to the Graveyard and special summon my three Magnet Warriors back to the field in defense mode!" Valkyrion then glowed and broke apart again. Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700), Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600), and Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800) reappeared on the field then. The grey, yellow, and pink warriors each took a defensive stance.

"Now I'll summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in defense mode!" A female knight in pink then appeared in a defensive stance with her shield and sword raised.

"Finally, I'll place one card face down. That ends my move." (Nesbitt 4000, Illidan 8000, Lector 4000)

Lector then drew his card and snickered like Nesbitt had. "Now I set one monster, and then place four cards face down. Finally, I play the magic card known as Mirage of Nightmare. This card allows me to draw till I hold 4 cards during your next Standby Phase Mr. Stormrage. Of course, I do have to discard however many cards I drew during my turn, but that's just a small price to pay. I end my move." (Nesbitt 4000, Illidan 8000, Lector 4000)

Lector only grinned and drew. "Now I am about to show you some real power. I summon the monster known as V-Tiger Jet (1600/1800) in attack mode!" A mechanical yellow and greenish tiger then appeared on the field. As it roared, it pushed wings out and revealed its engines. Also, its mechanical claws slid out of its mechanical hands.

"I'm not through yet though Illidan, for I activate my Frontline Base card as well. Now I special summon W-Wing Catapult (1300/1500) in attack mode!" A huge blue jet like creature then appeared. It had a huge arsenal of missiles and rockets on itself.

"Next for the fun part Mr. Stormrage. I remove both V-Tiger Jet and W-Wing Catapult from play in order to fuse them into the VW-Tiger Catapult (2000/2100)!"

The mechanical tiger roared and blasted off, as did the other flying creature. Both then began to transform and the tiger attached itself to the powerful jet like creature. Finally, the two were merged together, and the tiger half let loose a loud roar.

Illidan slightly growled at this new development.

"Now it's time you feel this new monster's special effect. I discard one card from my hand in order to switch one monster of yours into attack mode."

Illidan only chuckled.

"What's so funny Illidan?" Nesbitt asked.

"You are. You have no cards in your hand, so try and switch one of my monster's mode." Illidan said with a laugh.

Nesbitt only smirked and said "You're right Mr. Stormrage, which is why I reveal this trap card, Jar of Greed! Now I can draw 1 new card from my deck!"

Illidan suddenly realized now he was in trouble.

Nesbitt grinned and then said "I discard this scrap heap known as Giga-Tech Wolf in order to switch your Alpha the Magnet Warrior into attack mode!" Suddenly Alpha started standing up. He then raised his sword and shield in front of him, showing signs of attack mode.

"Now VW-Tiger Catapult, decimate Alpha the Magnet Warrior with Heat Seeker Blitz!"

Several missiles and rockets then shot from the jet part of the new monster. The rockets blasted Alpha, easily blowing him away into millions of pieces. Illidan then cried out slightly as part of his body disappeared thanks to the Shadow Game.

Marie cried out "Illidan, are you alright?"

Illidan gritted his teeth and bared the pain, for it was for only an instant. He then replied back to her with "Yes, I'm fine for now."

"Seems like you're trying to hide from me now Mr. Stormrage! But don't worry, you'll be able to hide all you want once I wipe you out. Now X-Head Cannon, attack his pathetic Gamma the Magnet Warrior with Cannon Blaster!" The powerful robot with the tank attached to it powered up and fired a huge blast at the pink Magnet Warrior. With ease, the blast blew away Gamma. Illidan slightly growled at the loss of two monsters, but knew he'd live, for now.

"That'll end my turn for now. Next turn though, you won't be so lucky." (Nesbitt 4000, Illidan 7400, Lector 4000)

Illidan only looked at his field. He had Beta the Magnet Warrior and Queen's Knight left, as well as his face down card. "_I need to get rid of Lector, and fast. He has four face down cards, but I can't afford to let him stay in this duel. I have to take a chance on eliminating him._" Illidan took a deep breath and drew.

He smiled at the card he drew. "Before you make you move to your Main Phase Mr. Stormrage, I activate my face down card, which is Solemn Wishes. When I draw a card or cards, I now gain 500 life points. Next my Mirage of Nightmare kicks in, forcing me to draw till I hold four cards in my hand. Now I draw my four cards, and I gain 500 life points thanks to Solemn Wishes. Next I reveal another face down card. This one is the magic card called Emergency Provisions! This magic card allows me to sacrifice one magic or trap card on my field and then add 1000 life points to my life points. So, I sacrifice my Mirage of Nightmare, thus raising my life points by 1000. I believe that shall do it for me." Lector said.

Sighing, Illidan then said "I summon King's Knight (1600/1400) in attack mode!" A knight in red that appeared rather old then appeared on Illidan's side of the field. He wore a crown, showing the reason for calling him King's Knight.

Illidan only lightly chuckled and said "Now for King's Knight special ability. When I have King's Knight and Queen's Knight on the field, I can special summon Jack's Knight (1900/1000) from my Deck, which I do now!" Suddenly another knight appeared on the field. This one was young and was the strongest of the three.

"Next I switch my Beta the Magnet Warrior and Queen's Knight into attack mode. Now Jack's Knight, attack Lector's face down monster with Royal Slash!"

The young knight leapt into the air and then slashed the face down monster. The card image disappeared and a monster with what looked like gloves and a bow appeared. Then the monster was easily destroyed.

Lector laughed, saying "You just destroyed my Skelengel (800/900), which when flipped allows me to draw one new card. Now I draw, and gain 500 life points thanks to Solemn Wishes."

Illidan only smirked at this. "What's so funny Mr. Stormrage?" asked a confused Lector.

"You are Lector. You have no monsters left, and I have four on the field. Now I invoke my Deck Master's special ability. Jack's Knight can now attack again, so direct attack Lector with Royal Slash!" The knight quickly crossed the field and slashed Lector, making Lector cry out in pain. Luckily for him, building up his life points gave him a small bit of safety.

Lector then glared over at Nesbitt and screamed "WHY DIDN'T YOU BLOCK FOR ME?"

Nesbitt, seemingly shocked by this, said "Why should I? I thought your face down that remains was to protect yourself. Don't blame me for your errors. I can't help it if your deck is focused on only gaining life points, but to only lose them again."

Lector growled even more loudly and said "If you want to win, you'll help me out!"

Illidan then interrupted, saying "Excuse me you two, but I have someone to eliminate. Beta the Magnet Warrior, direct attack Lector's life points with Magnetic Polarity Punch!" In a flash the yellow Magnet Warrior crossed the field.

At the last second, Nesbitt said "Now VW-Tiger Catapult, defend Lector's life points!" The mighty tiger machine quickly flew in front of the attack and defended against it. Beta's attack was too weak to destroy the monster, so he was thrown back and Illidan's life points dropped. He growled as the pain of the Shadow Realm eating away at his body was felt. Slowly, another small piece of him was destroyed by the Shadows.

"Fine, I'll end my turn." Illidan said in an annoyed voice. (Nesbitt 4000, Illidan 7000, Lector 4100)

Lector then said "Thank you Nesbitt, but don't let it happen again! Now watch as I draw, thus gaining 500 life points thanks to Solemn Wishes. Next, I reveal my face down trap, Life Absorbing Machine! This trap allows me to gain half the life points I paid out the turn before. Now I'll set one card face down. Next I'll play another Emergency Provisions, and sacrifice the face down card I just put down, which was Statue of the Wicked. This trap allows me to special summon one Wicked Token (1000/1000) to the field in defense mode when the trap card is destroyed." A serpent like creature then appeared, flicking its tongue in and out.

"If you think that's the worst, you haven't seen anything yet. Next I'll reveal my other face down, Token Thanksgiving. This card allows me to sacrifice my Wicked Token and gain 800 life points." Slowly, the serpent creature faded away as Lector's points were boosted.

"Now I summon the monster known as Injection Fairy Lily (400/1500) in attack mode." A fairy looking creature with a huge needle then appeared. She looked like a nurse as well, and wielding that huge needle made it just look comical.

"Now I attack your Queen's Knight with Injection Fairy Lily!"

The fairy then sped towards Queen's Knight. The female knight prepared to slice the poor fairy into pieces when suddenly Lector called out, saying "I now activate Fairy Lily's special effect. By giving up 2000 life points, I can increase her attack points by 3000 (3400/1500)!"

Illidan already knew this fact, due that Marie always used that monster. The fairy's needle then doubled in size and she threw it at Illidan's knight. The female knight was easily struck and blew up, causing Illidan to scream in pain as his life points dropped, and as the Shadow Realm began to take away another part of his body. He was panting from the physical pain, but remained strong.

"That shall end my turn Mr. Stormrage. I think you're nearing the end of your rope, so why don't you surrender?" (Nesbitt 4000, Illidan 5100, Lector 4400)


	127. Chapter 127: Vanishing, Pt 2

**Hey everyone. Sorry I didn't post a chapter yesterday. I was so busy yesterday morning that I just didn't have any time at all to write my reviews. I had to meet the guy I'll work for on my new job at 8, so I got up earlier, and get ready, so time I got ready, I didn't have time to write the reviews. Anyways, to make up for it, I'll post two chapters today. Smiles I know that'll please everyone, hehe. Well, it's time to answer some reviews.**

**CWATZ: Lol, you always manage to somehow be my first review to answer. How, I don't know, hehe. You just have good posting time, or time it so I answer yours first. Hmm, could you purposely doing it! Lol, kidding. It's alright. I understand, life happens. Things take more precedence at times, and it happens. Much like me this morning and my reviews. It's all good though. Glad to see you back.**

**x-knight20: Thanks, and we'll have a good weekend as usual. I get to see her two days, happily. Once on Saturday, and then on Sunday. Btw, I forgot to mention it last time, but I'm glad to see you back as well.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Actually, there was no two on one in Battle City, thankfully, hehe. Yes, he wears his favorite shirt a lot. I kind of gave that manner to him, seeing how I had one special shirt I always wore when around Cindy. So, Illidan just picked up the same habit. But yeah, the duel is somewhat similar I guess. Just add another opponent and it's close to the same.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Yeah, things aren't looking good at the moment, but as I once heard, it's always darkest before the dawn. What does that translate to, I have no clue. Lol, I was just saying it's always darkest before dawn. But yeah, he needs something. Maybe… Shining Friendship! Yeah, he could save the day! Ducks the large amounts of rotten fruit and vegetables being thrown at him.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, but that's a nice thing to do, sometimes… But seriously, yeah, it's not nice. I see no real point in burning a cross. So it burns, who cares! Very random indeed Ryou.**

**sweetxokissesxo: I'm not a human though. I'm a half demon, hence not human! Well, not fully, lol. Looks at Ryon. He's just having a nervous breakdown. Must be due that he's not as cool as Marik now. Watches Ryon fall over crying.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Lol, he's lost his edge. The poor man has finally been beaten into submission. So much for the mighty Ryon. Who scared him, only he knows.**

**Strawberry Cake: LOL! Well, you should have called for help Ryon. Maybe I'd have helped you. You could hire me as a bodyguard to make sure it don't happen again. I've got a low, low priced special for protection right now! Only pay $10,000 every two days for a half demon! That's right, only 10k! Hurry though, for this special is for only a day or two, till a certain other half demon steals him away and ties him up and keeps him detained for hours on end. So, act now!**

**Fire Princess: Watches Ryon receive before Marik incident. Ouch, that had to hurt. You shouldn't have kicked the can out the window. Ryon: "I DIDN'T KICK THE DAMN CAN!" Sure, that's what you say now. Ryon points at Ryou. Ryon: "GOODY, GOODY TWO-SHOES DID IT, NOT ME!" Looks at innocent Ryou. Nah, he'd never do it.**

**Ryon Nakura: Fangirl is slashed in half by clawed hand. That one is free. Just make sure to hurry up and purchase my protection.**

**Berry Kisses: Yeah, it is a tougher one. These two are working well together, for now. Yes, pure evil. He's fun to party with though. That and go drinking with.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, Illidan is taking on Lector first, but only due that Lector can build up his points. It could happen though about the argument. After all, the five didn't get along a few other times.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yep, he's got all but Y-Dragon Head out, but can he summon it? Who knows (other than me, lol)? It's all good though. I sometimes forget names of characters as well. I was trying to remember the name of someone from Tri-Gun recently, and it took me two or three days to do it. Finally, I figured it out, which made me happy, lol. The knight trio is part of his new deck. As I'm sure you've noticed, he's trying to make it easier in summoning monsters, so using the knights is one way to do it. Valkyrion is another, and there are others I'm sure.**

**Wipes sweat off of brain. That took a bit of brain power to fully write, lol. Oh yeah, I did try to turn in my two weeks at the other job today, but they wish to discuss possibly trying to give me a raise so I can afford insurance. Shrugs I'll hear them out, but I think my mind is made up. I want to leave that place for sure, and that other job is too good to let slip by. **

**As for me and Cindy getting married, the talk I had with my dad and step mom last night seemed to have made me ponder on it. We may wait a month, but I don't know. We're going to discuss it, so we'll see. At any rate, I'm outta here, so everyone enjoy. Later.**

**Chapter 127**

Illidan finally regained his composure and let a smile slip over his face. Finally he said in a calm voice "Why do you think I'd give up now? I've faced far worse than you two, and I've never given up. I made a promise to my friends and the woman I love, and I always keep my promises! So do your worst. Whatever you want to do to me, feel free, but I promise, as long as I have life points, I'll fight to the bitter end!"

Nesbitt only laughed, saying "The end is about to become rather bitter Mr. Stormrage. Now my move, and the card I just drew shall be your down fall. I summon Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600) in attack mode!"

A red mechanical dragon then appeared on the field. It let loose a roar, signifying it was ready for a real fight.

Softly growling, Illidan quickly realized something. "_Just great… Now he has X, Y, and Z on the field. That can only mean one thing…_"

"Now I move Z-Metal Tank back to the field. Time to combine my three monsters, so I remove the three from play in order to special summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600) in attack mode!"

The three monsters then let out a moan each and fired their jets. The red dragon then detached its wings and connected to the large blue and yellow robot. Then the blue and yellow tank hooked up with the bottom of the red dragon. Now a huge monster from the three combined ones was left.

"Impressive I know, but I'm about to show you a monster you should truly fear. Sure, they say two monsters are better than one, but I disagree. Now I merge VW-Tiger Catapult and XYZ-Dragon Cannon together by removing those two monsters from play, thus forming the VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon (3000/2800)!"

The two large monsters then took to the sky, and slowly, each transformed and then began to reconnect with the other monster. Finally, a huge machine that looked like a Megazord off Power Rangers appeared. It had two powerful legs, hands with tank tracks, a pair of twin barrels in its chest, wings on its back, and a head that had red glowing eyes. To say the least, this monster seemed very formidable.

Nesbitt only let loose a wild laughter. "Now you're finished. First, I activate my monster's special ability. Once a turn, I'm allowed to remove one of your cards on the field from play. So, I choose to remove from play that pitiful Jack's Knight!"

A loud roar was heard from the huge robot as he powered up and fired a laser beam from his eyes. Illidan's young knight then was blasted by the laser and easily blown away. Illidan slightly growled at the loss of his monster, but was still safe, for now.

"I shall now decimate your life points Illidan! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, use your Ultimate Blaster to blow away Beta the Magnet Warrior!"

The large robot then gathered up tremendous energy in its twin barrels and then fired at the yellow warrior. Beta let out a loud moan as it was blown into millions of pieces. Illidan cried out in pain as well, for his body suffered due to the Shadow Game. Now Illidan had lost almost his entire left and right arm, as well as nearly both legs. He dropped to his knees as the pain was so incredible to him.

"GET UP ILLIDAN!" Illidan looked up on the wall to see Marie was the one who had said that.

"You can do it man, just get up and fight on!" called out Joey next.

"We believe in you! Don't give up yet!" cried out Yugi.

"Trust yourself and your deck Illidan! We know you can still win!" called down Yami next.

Slowly, Illidan rose back up. The pain was tremendous to him from the Shadow Game, but he put all the pain aside. He had a promise to keep, and nothing was going to keep him from it. "I'm far from done with you two, so hurry up and finish your turn Nesbitt!" called out Illidan. Lector seemed to show his frustration that Illidan had yet to succumb to the Shadow Game's torment.

"Fine then Mr. Stormrage, I'll end my move. There isn't a card in your deck right now that can save you though, muwhahaha!" (Nesbitt 4000, Illidan 3800, Lector 4400)

Illidan looked at his deck and took a deep breath. He then closed his eyes and drew. Slowly he brought it up to his face and looked. He grinned at the sight of this card. "I play the magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards." Illidan then drew his two new cards and brought them up to look at them. His eyes went a bit wide at these new cards. Illidan then smiled and laughed.

Both Lector and Nesbitt looked at one another with looks of huh. "What is so funny Mr. Stormrage? Finally figure out you're going to lose?" asked Lector.

Illidan then looked up at Lector and said "Nope. I'm about to turn this duel around, and it starts with this card. I now play the magic card Monster Reborn! This card allows me to bring back my Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850)!" Both Lector and Nesbitt gasped as the powerful warrior returned to the field, wielding his large sword.

"Of course, this monster has more than enough attack points to decimate your two's monsters, but I have something better in mind. Now I activate Valkyion's special effect. I can send him to the Graveyard once again in order to bring back Alpha (1400/1700), Beta (1700/1600), and Gamma (1500/1800) the Magnet Warriors in defense mode!"

Valkyrion then began to break apart into the three separate monsters. Finally, all three Magnet Warriors appeared in a defensive stance.

Lector and Nesbitt both broke out in laughter. "YOU'RE A FOOL ILLIDAN! You gave up a monster that could have destroyed us both to summon those pathetic creatures!" called out Nesbitt.

Illidan only grinned. "Actually, I gave up Valkyrion to summon these three for something better." Both Nesbitt and Lector stopped laughing and looked at Illidan. They both realized then he was dead serious.

With a quick motion, Illidan then brought the card he held in his hand up in front of his Duel Disk, and then said "Now it's time to show you what I mean. I now sacrifice Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors in order to summon the almighty Egyptian God, Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!"

The Shadow Realm seemed to grow even darker as the three warriors disappeared in a blinding light. The next thing to happen was a bright blue light formed behind Illidan. Suddenly, the huge blue Egyptian God appeared. He stretched out and roared at both of Illidan's opponents.

Up on the wall, Marie's eyes got brighter, for Illidan now had the advantage he needed to win.

Back on the field, Illidan slightly chuckled. "It's time I take control of this duel, and I'll start by eliminating both of your monsters. Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Nesbitt's VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon with Fist of Fate! Turn that tin can into scrap!"

Obelisk then pulled his fist in and powered it up. He then punched the powerful machine monster with his fist, causing the machine to scream and explode into many pieces. Nesbitt then screamed in pain as part of his body began to be fed on by the Shadow Realm. He lost in total part of his right arm and his left side.

"I'm not done yet though. Now my Deck Master allows Obelisk to attack again. I could wipe you out Nesbitt, but Lector's Fairy Lily looks like so much more of an appealing target. Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Lector's Injection Fairy Lily with Fist of Fate!"

Obelisk once again pulled his fist back and brought great power into it. He then began to swing at the nurse fairy when Lector interrupted.

"I activate my Fairy Lily's special effect. Now I give up 2000 life points to raise her attack points (3400/1500). This will at least minimize the damage I'm about to absorb."

Lector then cried out in pain as part of his arm and leg disappeared due to giving up the life points. Then Obelisk slammed his fist into the small fairy, causing the smaller monster to scream as she was crushed by the large fist. Lector then cried out in pain again as he lost even more life points, thus losing part of his right shoulder.

"I'm not done yet though you two. I still have one more monster on the field. King's Knight, direct attack Lector with Royal Slash!" The older knight then crossed the field and slashed Lector hard with his sword. Lector again screamed in agony as nearly all his body disappeared. Only his hands, Duel Disk, feet, and head were remaining. "That'll end my turn for now." (Nesbitt 3000, Illidan 3800, Lector 200)

Lector drew his card and said "Good, cause it's my move. First, I gain 500 life points thanks to Solemn Wishes due that I just drew a card."

Part of Lector's body then started to rematerialize.

"I see my theory about this game was right. Next I gain another 1000 life points due to Fairy Lily's effect from my last turn."

More of Lector's body then rematerialized. He now had a set of legs again, and part of a waist.

"Now I'll set one monster in defense, and set this card face down. That ends my turn." (Nesbitt 3000, Illidan 3800, Lector 1700)

Slowly, Nesbitt drew his card. "I summon Cyber Archfiend (1000/2000) in defense mode." A metallic look a like of the Summoned Skull then appeared on the field. The only difference was, he was made of metal instead of flesh. "That'll end my turn." (Nesbitt 3000, Illidan 3800, Lector 1700)

Illidan drew and smiled at his new card. "I summon Luster Dragon (1900/1600) in attack mode!" The powerful sapphire dragon then appeared and let loose a loud roar. "Now Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Nesbitt's Cyber Archfiend with Fist of Fate!"

Obelisk's eyes glowed red and he punched the pitiful machine monster. The cyber creature was easily overwhelmed by the attack and blew into billions of pieces.

Illidan then called out "Thanks to my Deck Master, Obelisk can attack again. Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Nesbitt directly with Fist of Fate!"

Everyone, including Nesbitt gasped. Nesbitt was drenched in sweat as Obelisk glared at him and began his attack. Great fear fell over Nesbitt as the attack neared.

"I move to intercept the attack with my face down monster!" called out Lector. At the last second, the monster card image jumped in front of Nesbitt and blocked the attack.

"Now I reveal my trap card, Enchanted Javelin!" yelled Lector. A small javelin with wings then appeared in front of the face down monster. The blast was seemingly absorbed by the javelin, but then hit the card behind it. The card image was blown away easily by Obelisk, and was revealed to be a small flying squirrel. Illidan slightly growled, for he knew what that monster was.

"You just attacked my Nimble Momonga (1000/100) Mr. Stormrage. When destroyed due to battle, I first gain 1000 life points. Next, I get to special summon up to two more from my deck in face down defense mode, which I do now. Also, thanks to my Enchanted Javelin, I gain the same amount of life points as the monster that attacked life points. Nice try though."

About this time, Lector's body was completely restored, for he had regained all his life points, thus the Shadow Game couldn't affect him till he lost more points again.

Illidan only slightly chuckled. "Nesbitt isn't out of the woods just yet, but now you've caught my attention now Lector. Luster Dragon, blow away one of Lector's face down monsters with Ruby Blaster!" The sapphire dragon opened its mouth as ruby energy poured into it. Then the dragon let loose a ball of ruby energy which easily blew away the card image, which was followed by the image of a flying squirrel, which was blown up too.

Lector only chuckled. "Now I gain yet another 1000 life points. You're awfully generous Mr. Stormrage."

Illidan only smiled and said "Yes, but I also collect on the debts you make, so just wait. King's Knight, attack his face down monster with Royal Slash!" Quickly, the older knight slashed the card image in half, thus revealing half of a flying squirrel.

"Thanks to that move Mr. Stormrage, I gain yet another 1000 life points. My, my, you're just so helpful." teased Lector.

Illidan only smiled and said "Yeah, I'm helpful, but dangerous. I end my move." (Nesbitt 3000, Illidan 3800, Lector 8700)

On the wall, Marie and the others all just gasped at the maneuvers Lector had just pulled out on Illidan.

"Illidan only has 3800, yet Lector has 8700! How is he to compete with that?" asked Noa.

Yami only looked over to Noa and replied with "Don't forget though, Illidan has his powerful Egyptian God, Obelisk the Tormentor, out on the field. That will be the great equalizer in the end probably. Also, remember that you and I once dueled, where you had over 10000 life points while I only had a few hundred." Noa nodded, figuring Illidan may still have a shot.

Meanwhile, Seto only sat there, wondering why Illidan so foolishly didn't wipe out Nesbitt the turn before. "He could have destroyed Nesbitt and focused fully on Lector. It makes no sense." he said silently to himself.

Mokuba then looked up and asked Seto "Illidan will be alright in this duel, right?"

Seto looked at him and said "If he can tap into Obelisk's full power again, yeah, but he has to do that in order to win this duel I think."

Marie only stared on at the field. "Come on Illidan, I know you can do this." she said silently to herself.

On the field, Lector grinned and drew his card. "Now I gain 500 life points thanks to my Solemn Wishes. Next, I activate my Deck Master's special ability. This allows me to special summon one monster from my deck with the name Jinzo at a cost of one trap card, so I special summon Jinzo #7 (500/400) in defense mode. The trap I'll throw out shall be Jar of Greed." A weird looking robot then appeared on the field. It sat down into a crouching position.

"Now I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two new cards, plus I gain 500 life points thanks to Solemn Wishes. Next I set one monster and set one card face down. That ends my turn." (Nesbitt 3000, Illidan 3800, Lector 9700)

Nesbit glared at his deck and then drew. "I play the magic card known as Pot of Greed. This allows me to draw 2 cards from my deck."

Nesbitt laughed at his new cards. "You're about to pay for your previous moves Mr. Stormrage. Now I play the monster known as Cyber Dragon (2100/1600) in attack mode."

A large mechanical snake like dragon then appeared on the field. It let loose a roar at Illidan's field.

"Wait, how did you summon that without sacrificing a monster first? It's a level 5 monster, so you shouldn't be able to just summon it?" interjected Illidan.

Nesbitt only laughed. "You're almost right Mr. Stormrage. Thanks to Cyber Dragon's special ability, when I have no monsters on my field and you have a monster or monsters, I can summon that dragon. Now Cyber Dragon, attack King's Knight with Strident Blaze!"

The metallic dragon roared and let loose a large fiery blast. The older knight was easily overwhelmed by the blaze. Illidan then cried out in pain as his body slowly disappeared a little more. Now part of his left shoulder was gone. Gritting his teeth, Illidan remained standing.

"Finally, I'll place one card face down. Your move Mr. Stormrage." (Nesbitt 3000, Illidan 3300, Lector 9700)

Illidan slowly drew his next card. Illidan only smiled at the sight of his Jinzo. "It's time I show Lector's Deck Master who is really boss of this duel. I now sacrifice my Luster Dragon in order to summon Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode!"

The powerful and familiar cyborg then made his appearance on the field.

Pointing at Lector, he said "Now, I know your Deck Master isn't doing his job properly, so my Jinzo will have to fix that. Jinzo, negate all those traps will you?"

The cyborg's eyes then glowed red as it fired a beam from each eye at Lector's face up trap cards, as well as his one face down card, and then the cyborg pointed at Nesbitt's face down card and did the same. Both Nesbitt and Lector growled at this new monster.

"Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Nesbitt's Cyber Dragon with Fist of Fate!" Obelisk's eyes then glowed red and he brought power into his fist. He then punched at the powerful dragon.


	128. Chapter 128: Vanishing, Pt 3

**Chapter 128**

As Obelisk was about to strike Cyber Dragon, suddenly Lector cried out "Jinzo #7, defend Cyber Dragon!"

The small robot quickly jumped in to defend the large mechanical dragon. Easily, Obelisk decimated Jinzo #7 with the attack.

Illidan slightly growled in frustration that his attack was blocked. "I see, so you two are getting along now. That's fine, because Obelisk now gets a second chance thanks to my Deck Master. Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Nesbitt's Cyber Dragon with Fist of Fate!"

Obelisk prepared to attack again when Lector said "I activate my Deck Master's special ability again. Now I send Time Seal to the Graveyard from my deck in order to special summon another Jinzo #7 (500/400) to the field in defense mode." Yet another little robot then appeared in a crouching position. "Jinzo #7, defend Cyber Dragon again!" called out Lector.

The little robot quickly jumped in front of the mechanical dragon and took Obelisk's attack on. Of course, the small robot was easily crushed by Obelisk, causing it to scream as it was pretty much compacted till it exploded into millions of pieces. Once again, Illidan growled that Lector had interfered.

"Alright Lector, enough of this. Jinzo, attack his face down monster with Cyber Energy Shock!" Jinzo then threw a blast at the small card image. The image was struck easily, causing an elf robed in green to appear. The blast pretty much struck the elf, but he survived the blast.

"What is that?" asked Illidan. Once the smoke cleared, his own question was answered by what he saw.

"It's my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200). He can survive any battle with monsters that have 1900 or more attack points, so take that Mr. Stormrage." gloated Lector.

Illidan grumbled and said "I end my move then." (Nesbitt 3000, Illidan 3300, Lector 9700)

"Good, cause it's my move. Since your Jinzo is out, I can't gain any life points due to Solemn Wishes. Now I set a monster and end my move." (Nesbitt 3000, Illidan 3300, Lector 9700)

Nesbitt then drew his next card. He grinned evilly at the sight of it. "I now play the magic card called Card of Sanctity! Now we each draw till we hold 6 cards in our hands."

Illidan drew his Kuriboh, The Creator Incarnate, Ring of Defense, Sinister Serpent, Reasoning, and Premature Burial.

"It's time I finish this duel now!" declared Nesbitt. "Now I'll play the magic card known as Power Bond! This magic card allows me to make a fusion of machine monsters. Also, it doubles the attack points of the monster I summon. Now I fuse my Cyber Dragon along with the other two in my hand, thus creating the powerful Cyber End Dragon (4000 2 8000/2800)!"

Two other of the same mechanical dragon then appeared. Slowly, they swirled together and a huge three headed snake like dragon appeared. It had large wings on its back, and all three heads roared.

Everyone on the wall gasped, for Illidan now had a monster that was twice as strong as Obelisk to deal with on the field.

Illidan only slightly growled. "_I see where this is headed…_"

"Good duel Mr. Stormrage, but not good enough. Now Cyber End Dragon, obliterate his Obelisk the Tormentor with Super Strident Blaze! Farewell!"

The powerful mechanical dragon let loose a huge blast of fire from each mouth. As the blast neared, Illidan only grinned. Suddenly, a wall of Kuriboh's surrounded Obelisk.

"NOOOO!" screamed Nesbitt.

The blast struck the wall, incinerating many of the Kuriboh's, and finally striking Obelisk himself. A huge explosion ensued. Once the smoke cleared, Obelisk and the Kuriboh's were gone, but Illidan's life points were perfectly fine.

"NOOOO! I'M DOOMED!" screamed Nesbitt.

Illidan only smirked. "That'll teach you to play that card. I've heard of Power Bond, and knew how powerful it was, but I never knew someone would be foolish enough to use it like that. But now, its effect is about to kick in since you appear to have no other moves. Now the attack points of your Cyber End Dragon are deducted from your life points, meaning you lose 4000 life points. Due that you don't have that, it's over for you."

Nesbitt then started vanishing. He screamed in agony as his body slowly faded into the shadows. Finally, he disappeared altogether, but not before one last blood curdling scream. Lector was seriously shaken by this turn around. Now he was alone, to face Illidan.

Illidan looked over at Lector and said "It's just the two of us, but don't think I'm going to go easy. Now watch as I draw!" Illidan looked at his The Creator. Smiling, Illidan had a plan. "Now I summon The Creator Incarnate (1600/1500) in attack mode."

A warrior in golden armor then appeared, wielding his powerful sword.

"Next I play the magic card Reasoning! Now guess a level of a monster. Then I draw from my deck till I find a monster card. Any spell or trap cards are automatically discarded to the Graveyard. If the monster I draw has the same level as the one you guessed, it's discarded to the Graveyard as well. But if I draw a monster that has a different level, that monster is automatically special summoned to the field. So, guess a level then Lector."

Lector was slightly sweating, and finally said "I'll guess level 4, since it's a main level you use."

Illidan chuckled and drew. The first card he drew was a monster. "Well Lector, looks like you're wrong. And here is the proof! I summon Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) in attack mode!"

The powerful orange dragon then appeared on the field and roared wildly.

"This monster means a good bit to me, and you'll never understand how much it does. The card I played belonged to Marie, and I'll make sure that it helps bring me victory in this duel! Now, for the final monster I'll need to take you down. I play Premature Burial, thus giving up 800 life points to use it."

As Illidan gave up the life points, he gritted his teeth as part of his body disappeared. Now he had nearly no legs.

"The monster I choose to bring back is none other than the Egyptian God, Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" The large blue Egyptian God then made his grand return. He took his traditional attack stance.

"Of course, he'll only remain on the field for one turn, but still, that's more than long enough to finish you off. Now The Creator Incarnate, attack his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian with Incarnate Slash!"

The golden armored warrior quickly crossed the field. As he was closing in on Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, he drew his sword and then sliced the elf into three pieces.

"Now I activate my Deck Master's special ability. The Creator Incarnate, attack his face down monster now with Incarnate Slash!"

Again the golden armored warrior quickly crossed this field. This time, he sliced the card image four times. Out from the image came a blue pixie with orange hair. She screamed as she fell apart from four cuts.

"Grr, you destroyed my Dreamsprite (300/200)." grumbled Lector.

Illidan only slightly chuckled. "That's not the worst part. Now you have nothing to protect your life points. Jinzo, direct attack his life points with Cyber Energy Shock!"

The powerful cyborg brought his hands close together and created a sphere of black energy. Then he threw the black energy directly at Lector, causing Lector to slightly slide back.

"This one is for Marie. Tyrant Dragon, direct attack his life points with Tyrant Flame!" called out a confident Illidan. The large orange dragon then shot hot flames at Lector, easily knocking him back more. He growled as his life points dropped down to 4400. Lector then started laughing. "Seems you'll fall 400 life points short Mr. Stormrage, and then I'll destroy you with what's in my hand!" gloated Lector.

Illidan only chuckled and said "Nah, I think I'll finish it now. I activate Obelisk the Tormentor's special ability. Now I sacrifice Jinzo and The Creator Incarnate to Obelisk, thus granting him infinite power!"

Obelisk then grabbed the cyborg and golden armored warrior and began to absorb their power. Obelisk then roared as his attack points started rising. With this increase in power, his color started changing from blue to red. Finally, his attack points hit infinite, and he roared even louder.

Lector only cowered in fear, for now he was truly finished.

"Obelisk the Tormentor, direct attack his life points with Fist of Fate! Farewell Lector!" called out Illidan.

Obelisk then brought both fists forward and fired twin blasts from his fists. The blasts swirled together and struck Lector with incredible force. He was thrown backwards into the wall of the Shadow Realm, which he then bounced off of to fall hard onto the ground. Then suddenly his life points drained and he began to vanish.

"NOOOO! MR. KAIBA, PLEASE SAVE ME!" he screamed.

Gozaburo only laughed at this request and said "Just as I said, you shall pay the full price for failure. I should have known this about the Big 5. New packaging, same product; losers!"

Lector's eyes went wide as he let loose a blood curdling scream. Within moments, he was fully engulfed by the Shadow Realm.

Illidan watched with sad eyes though. There was no glory to him for winning a Shadow Game. Not now, nor not in the past when it was to play in such a dangerous arena.

Gozaburo then started laughing madly. "What's wrong Illidan, ashamed by what you've done, muwahaha?" he asked.

Illidan glared up at him, with great anger flashing in his eyes. Even though he had fought to protect his friends, and had sent those 5 to the Shadow Realm, he never once enjoyed it. Sending people to the Shadow Realm was never a thing he enjoyed. Not in the past, nor in the present. "You think I actually enjoyed sending those men into an eternal prison? You are so stupid Gozaburo! Never once had I enjoyed sending anyone into the Shadow Realm, nor never will I!" screamed Illidan.

Gozaburo only chuckled at this display. "You should learn to appreciate the Shadow Realm though Illidan. Its power is what makes our Millennium Items each so strong. Don't forget, the Shadow Magic is forever within these items, and will always be there for all eternity."

Illidan only growled and pointed an angry finger at Gozaburo. Then he said in a rather angry voice "You're one to lecture me on Shadow Magic. You, of all people who doesn't even know who he truly is. I know I am Illidan Stormrage, and that I once lived in Egypt 5000 years ago and helped create these items. But you, you don't realize that you're the true reincarnation of Gozaburo from those times. You still can't come to grips that you are truly the madman that once nearly destroyed Egypt over one Millennium Item. The same man that never could understand why Marie choose me over you. Now you tell me who you truly are, for I know you're truly that man! You are truly Gozaburo Tark of Egypt!"

Marie and the others on the wall were surprised at Illidan's outburst. Gozaburo only chuckled evilly till finally his Millennium Crown suddenly began to glow. Its glow was brighter than any item had ever been. With this glow, Gozaburo screamed out in pain. He covered his head, desperately trying to pull the crown off of his head. The crown only glowed brighter as his hands seemed to be burned by its awesome power. Finally, the glow covered his entire body.

Everyone on the wall was unsure what this meant. Even Illidan, who was on the ground staring on, was unsure what this meant. He began to power up his Millennium Key, preparing for whatever Gozaburo had in stored for him. As soon as the glow reached its peak, Gozaburo let loose a primal scream. Suddenly, the glow began to fade.

There stood Gozaburo, his head bowed. His body had wisps of smoke coming off of him, and little bolts of electricity flickering on him. Then he opened his eyes and glared at Illidan. Then in a voice like evil, he said "Why hello again Illidan Stormrage. I see you was reincarnated as well."

It hit Illidan then. This was Gozaburo Tark from the past now. He had reawakened finally.

The new Gozaburo looked up on the wall and grinned evilly. "I see Marie, Yami, Bakura, Shadi, and Set have all returned to this lifetime as well. Good to see that I can now officially punish the five of them as well as you." His eyes then went back down towards Illidan. He saw that Illidan's Millennium Key was glowing with power. "I wish to know something before then though." he said in a calm voice.

Suddenly, the Millennium Crown began to glow again. With that, Gozaburo then pointed at Illidan with his palm. He then shot a powerful burst of Shadow Magic at Illidan. Illidan was quick to react, for he had anticipated that Gozaburo was going to do this. He raised a barrier using his Millennium Key and let the blast strike him. The blast pushed against the barrier, but eventually burned out. Gozaburo then fired several blasts from his palm that was facing Illidan. Each blast hit Illidan's barrier, but none got through.

"_Why is he wasting his time doing this? Doesn't he remember that his crown is stronger than my key?_" Gozaburo then grinned evilly. He called more power forth from his crown and sent a much larger blast at Illidan. Illidan looked on in shock as the blast came at him. Calling forth more power from his key, he increased his barrier's strength. The blast struck the barrier hard, forcing Illidan to slide back slightly. He kept focusing on the barrier, hoping it would hold. The blast was huge, but the barrier was holding.

Finally, the blast subsided and Illidan survived. He looked up at Gozaburo with hardened eyes, knowing that Gozaburo Tark wanted to make sure how strong Illidan was now. Unlike how he had acted when he had no clue who he was, Gozaburo now was being more and more ruthless and testing Illidan's true strength. At the sight of seeing Illidan survive that last blast, Gozaburo then powered up again. He then sent out an even larger blast of Shadow Magic at Illidan. This one was huge, about double the size of the last. It looked like a giant wrecking ball sized energy blast. Illidan gasped as it came near. He poured more power from his Millennium Key into his barrier. The blast and the barrier collided, sending off several sparks. The blast continued pressing against the barrier, pushing the barrier in slightly. The small indention started to grow larger and larger, for the blast was just that strong. Illidan was forced to his knees from the sheer pressure of the blast. He was concentrating, pouring all the power he could out into the barrier, but still the blast continued to push forward. Remembering all that he was fighting for, and the promise he had made, he found new strength and stood, and then pushed more power from the Millennium Key into the barrier. The barrier slowly started pushing the blast back out of the indention. Then suddenly, Illidan couldn't push any further. He was running out of energy, and what was left wasn't enough to stop the blast. Slowly, the barrier started going backwards again. Illidan fell to one knee, breathing hard. He was pushing with everything he had, but still it wasn't enough. Suddenly his deck started glowing. Three balls of light then came from his deck and appeared in front of him. The three spheres of light transformed into the three Egyptian God Cards. Each then leant him strength, reenergizing his strength. With this renewed strength, Illidan pushed the barrier back out to its original shape, thus canceling out the blast that was smashing against it. The three Gods then disappeared as Illidan fell to his knees, panting hard.

Gozaburo was shocked that Illidan had stopped the blast, but decided that was enough. "Good to see you're stronger Illidan, but don't think that'll save you. Now, we'll duel tonight at 7. Be there, or I'll send each and every one of these fools to the Shadow Realm. Till then." He said evilly. Then he pressed a button on his throne and descended into the tower. The judge then hoped onto his platform and then was lowered into the tower as well.

As Gozaburo was leaving, the Shadow Realm started to fade. Illidan looked up to see everyone fading back into the Shadows.

"Illidan!" cried out Marie. Illidan stared at her and said "Don't worry, I'll beat him. Just remember till I free you, I love you forever and always!" She nodded and said "I love you too Illidan. Try and be ready, for this will be the final fight!" Illidan nodded as she finally faded away, just like the others.

Nothing was left now but the top of the tower and the pouring rain outside. "Heh, how perfect a weather to match my mood." Illidan said slowly. Finally, he got up and went out to stand in the rain. There he stood for a few hours, just soaking it in, letting his body attempt to recoup from his small Shadow Match with Gozaburo Tark.


	129. Chapter 129: Evil's Return

**Hey everyone. Sorry I didn't post over the weekend, but I was rather busy. Saturday, I went to see Cindy, and we got her stuff ready to take back to her new apartment. Then Sunday, we spent the early part of the day traveling back up north to her apartment, and then relaxed a little. I left here at nearly 5 am yesterday, so I had no time to really write my reviews, or even think about posting a chapter. At any rate, I'm glad everyone liked the last duel. Time to get down to answering those reviews.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, it finally came out. It's a great card, but hard to bring out. It pends on so much is why it's rarely used I figure. Yep, I figured I'd have Nesbit summon Cyber End Dragon, just to throw a curve ball in. Yes, Gozaburo Tark has revealed himself now. If everyone thought Gozaburo Kaiba was bad, wait till Tark starts unleashing his evil. He's by far worse than Kaiba. Yep, it's been a long and hard tournament, and now it's up to Illidan to put all he's learned up against Gozaburo. Thanks for the comments.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, they came in to help. After all, Illidan has control of them. They'd about have to, lol.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yes, it's coming soon. I have no doubt he'll try something. Wait, I'd know whether he did or not, lol. Silly me, hehe.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Indeed, the final duel is here. Soon all will end, maybe, lol. Yes, I know what you mean about people. I experience that with my wonderful family.**

**x-knight20: No, there wasn't anything that used Tark last time, well, other than the crown itself. The power of the crown is what corrupted Tark so much last time, and the feelings of obsession over Marie were amplified many times over. Hope that helps.**

**Ryon Nakura: It is? Actually, that's a fair price, hehe. Looks at cops bursting in. See, you should have paid me. I could stop them for you if you had. Watches cops beat Ryon to the ground and kick him many a times before finally cuffing him and throwing him in back of cop car. He'll be back… maybe, lol.**

**Berry Kisses: Yeah, once and a while. He's nicer than a cobra though. More like a rattlesnake, lol. Laughs at note. See, he cares.**

**Fire Princess: LOL! Yes, you'll get used to the fiery feeling eventually Ryou. Just give it time, hehe.**

**Strawberry Cake: No, I'm not insane. It's a fair price for half demon protection. Yes, I'm half nice, and other times I'm demonic. That's why they happen to call people like that half demons, lol. Lol, no Ryou, not as evil as you in this reality or another.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Yes, I believe Marik and him had a good time. At least Marik did. He kept laughing and saying something about how much fun it was torturing Ryon till the point of insanity setting in on Ryon. Ah, at least he gave you a hug at last Brianna, lol.**

**sweetxokissesxo: Or like saying "That's only a bomb about ready to explode."**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, I take it he's scarred for life now thanks to Marik. Well, maybe it's better this way, hehe.**

**Ok, that's it for me today. Just so everyone knows, the 18th will be the day that this story comes to an end. Reason one is I have just the right amount of chapters to end it then. Reason two is it's going to be a very special day for me and Cindy. We decided to marry that day, so before I make the trip up to get married with her, I'll post my final chapter of this story. Now, don't think there are exactly however many days left between now and the eighteenth amount of chapters. There is one day I'll probably skip, most likely next Sunday due that I got to do a few things that will consume me all day. But other than that, I should post a chapter a day from here on, except next Sunday.**

**Well, that's all I have this morning. Gets dreamy eyed. Two weeks… Such a short time, yet a long time. At any rate, later all, and enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 129**

Illidan stood out in the rain till nearly 3 P.M. About that time, he realized soaking in the rain wouldn't help him win his final duel against Gozaburo. Slowly, he went to the elevator and headed to his room. Once there, he quickly stripped out of his soaking wet clothing and headed for the shower with a fresh set of clothes.

He stood in the shower for about an hour, just letting the warm water hit him. There he stood, feeling the whole weight of the world on his shoulders. It was like no matter what he did, something came up. Gozaburo was now fully aware of who he was, and was much more dangerous than before. Now Gozaburo knew all of Illidan's weaknesses. In a way, Illidan wished he hadn't pushed so hard to make Gozaburo remember who he was. If Gozaburo had remained as he was, maybe he wouldn't have been as dangerous, but he had forced him to remember for a reason.

That reason was due to Gozaburo Tark's extremely large ego. In ancient times, while wearing the Millennium Crown, he thought of himself as a god. Now that he was back, he had the same thoughts. Those were the same thoughts that had caused his downfall against Illidan the first time, and it would be the same again.

The thing was, Illidan had to be careful. Gozaburo wouldn't set this tournament up to where one person had the three Egyptian God Cards unless he had a plan to use against them. No one was foolish enough to face someone wielding all three. At least Illidan hoped he wouldn't be that stupid.

Finally, Illidan had enough standing in the water. He finished washing off and then stepped out of the shower, slowly drying himself off. Looking around, Illidan found the clothes he had brought in and dressed. He then went back to the main room and looked for something to eat.

After grabbing a pack of Ramen Noodles, he quickly ate. Once finished, he went over to the laptop he had. Slowly, he searched through the card database that was stored on the network. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for. It was the card he anticipated Gozaburo to use. The same monster that 5000 years ago had become Gozaburo's soul monster, much like how Dark Magician of Chaos had become Illidan's soul monster. The monster that was Gozaburo's soul monster was none other than the powerful Exodia Necross. In ancient times, it was a powerful monster, and as a card, it was just as powerful. Staring at the effects and stats of the card, Illidan began to think about how he could beat it, and what cards Gozaburo would have to use to make Exodia Necross invincible.

He then added to his search what types of cards were used to make a deck with Necross in it. The computer then showed him the most likely cards to be used. Examining them, Illidan decided more than likely Gozaburo wouldn't make it that easy. He would throw some kind of curve in. Something bothered him though.

"Gozaburo wouldn't take on the three Egyptian God Cards with Exodia Necross alone. Not even he is that foolish. What has he got that makes him so confident to face them I wonder." Illidan said softly to himself.

Slowly, he waded through card lists, trying to find something, if not anything, that would stand up to three Egyptian God Cards. In the end, he found nothing that could truly fight off all three. That left one question to be answered then.

"What is making him so confident that he can beat all three Egyptian Gods?" Illidan said to himself.

Finally, he checked the time. It was already 6 P.M. Slowly, he stood and went over to his deck. Looking through it, he found the all nine cards he had won from his friends. There was Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Yami's Slifer the Sky Dragon, Seto's Obelisk the Tormentor, Keith's Perfect Machine King, Bakura's Dark Ruler Ha Des, Noa's Yamata Dragon, Marik's The Winged Dragon of Ra, Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady, and finally, and more than likely most importantly to Illidan, was Marie's Tyrant Dragon. He stared at the nine cards he had pulled from his deck and thought of each person that he had won them from. Those nine cards had helped him win each of his duels against Gozaburo's associates. Now he would need all nine more than ever in this final duel.

Finally, he looked at his own Dark Magician of Chaos. This monster had been his soul monster over 5000 years ago, and it seemed even now he was protecting him. Illidan then said to himself "This is it. What I've been working for since I arrived here on this island. It's to fulfill my destiny by finishing what was started 5000 years ago. Gozaburo will be stopped once and for all this time. No matter what, I must save my friends and the world, even if that means I must give my own soul up. I won't allow him to destroy a world that had nothing to do with what happened to him back in those times, and I won't allow him to plunge this world into darkness for his own selfish desires. It ends here today, one way or another."

Illidan then placed each of the ten cards he had pulled out back into his deck. Slowly, he shuffled it and then placed it in his deck holder. Then he grabbed his Duel Disk and strapped it on. He then turned to the door, walking with a purpose. He left his room and headed for the elevator.

"_I'm coming Marie. I'm coming to save you and the others, and I promise this nightmare is about to end!_"

As he walked, he silently thought about all that had happened since he had met Marie again in these times. How much joy they had found with one another, and how happy he was when he was with her. Then he thought about his new friends, how he was so happy to have them, and to get to know each. Then he thought about how hard he had fought to get to this point. It had been a struggle at times, but he fought on. Now he had one last task to complete, and then this nightmare would end.

At last, he arrived at the elevator. It was already 6:30, so he was truly early. He entered the elevator, taking a deep breath and closed his eyes as the doors closed. Now he had to complete his final task. That final task was to beat Gozaburo, and end his attempt to revive the Millennium Crown. Once Illidan had beat him, he would get one wish, but he already knew what wish he wanted. It was to send that item into a great abyss, where no one could ever use it again. He would have it destroyed by its own power.

Suddenly the elevator arrived at the top. He opened his eyes to see the top of the tower already had someone waiting. There stood the judge at his usual position, but in the opponents position stood Gozaburo with his arms crossed. He then opened his eyes and smiled evilly. The Millennium Crown glowed slightly at Illidan's arrival. Illidan then stepped out and onto the top of the tower. Slowly, he strode straight towards the main dueling ring. He then stopped.

The judge glanced at both and said "If you're both ready, we'll begin the…"

Before he could finish, Illidan interrupted with "I don't know how you got free from the Shadow Realm Gozaburo Tark, but I'm sending you back. Your evil shall not remain here on earth for long."

Gozaburo only began an evil laughter, pointing at Illidan, saying "You're curious how I did it, aren't you?"

Illidan slowly replied with "Yes, I am. You should have been trapped in the Shadow Realm for all eternity. Somehow or another though, you escaped. How did you do it?"

Gozaburo only chuckled evilly and finally said "I guess I could explain before our duel. Before I was sent to the Shadow Realm by you, I made a small link to the Millennium Crown. The link allowed me to one day return, if the item was ever able to reawaken someone who was a descendant of me. Of course, as you know, Gozaburo Kaiba was a descendant…"

Illidan interjected "He was you reincarnated."

Gozaburo only chuckled again and replied with "Don't insult me Illidan. As you knew, I was sealed in the Shadow Realm. He wasn't my reincarnation, but a descendant that happened to look the part. That was the whole plan. I knew one day, one of my descendants would find the Millennium Crown. It was only a matter of time. The power thirst that I had was present in my family. Only I was able to claim power from my family line in those times, but they were not capable of it. I did know though that one day someone in my family would find a way to claim it though. Over time, the Tark's lost their name, but that was fine. Eventually, the fool known as Gozaburo Kaiba came a long. His insensational quest to find power eventually led him to the Millennium Crown. When he found it, he found yet another surprise, but I'll get to that one later. But there was a problem. Possessing the crown did not guarantee my revival. No, it would take a great push to remember who my descendant truly was from in order for me to be reborn. My memories were in the crown, no denying it. It was filled with my anger and hatred for you, and he had total memory of that. I had designed my link to allow me to return only when descendant would truly realize he was my descendant. I believe I have you to thank for reawakening Gozaburo Kaiba to that fact. So, does that help you with wondering why I'm back?"

Illidan only nodded, saying "Yes, it does. And now, I'm here to put you back where you belong. I won't allow you to plunge this world into darkness. So prepare yourself!"

Gozaburo only chuckled evilly and then signaled the judge to begin. "Duelists, the following duel is for the right to call yourself winner of the Tournament of Power. As well, this duel is for the Intercontinental and World Championships. Now, please both of you step forward and hand one another your deck. Then shuffle your opponent's deck and then shake hands. Once you finish, head back to your starting positions."

Both Illidan and Gozaburo walked to the middle. Illidan pulled his deck from his deck holder and handed it to Gozaburo, and Gozaburo did the same to Illidan. Both then shuffled one another's deck. When both were satisfied, they handed the other their deck back. They both then shook hands. Gozaburo had a firm hand shake, but Illidan was squeezing back just as hard.

Finally, both then headed back to the starting positions. Illidan then took a deep breath and remembered what all he was fighting for. He was fighting for his friends, for Marie, and most importantly, the world. He couldn't let them all down, no matter what.

The judge then said "Duelists, activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards. Mr. Gozaburo shall begin this duel, so begin when ready."

Both Illidan and Gozaburo then brought their Duel Disks online. Simultaneously, the Duel Disks unfolded and the came to life.

Gozaburo grinned evilly and said "Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200), come forth and help me finish this fool!" A woman with purple hair and black flowing robes then appeared.

Illidan was a bit shocked that Gozaburo had chosen that monster for his Deck Master. He was expecting something else, but not that. "Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500), help me bring this madness to an end!" called out Illidan. His large soldier in shining black armor then appeared. He swung his sword and brought his shield up, showing readiness to fight.

Both Gozaburo and Illidan drew their first five cards then, and stared one another down. Both then screamed "LET'S DUEL!"

Before Gozaburo drew a card though, he began to laugh evilly and said "Illidan, we shall duel in the Shadow Realm!" Suddenly the Millennium Crown glowed brightly and a sphere of darkness encircled the tower.

Illidan only lightly chuckled, saying "Can't just fight fair, can you?"

Gozaburo only chuckled, saying "It's fair due that we're fighting how this game was truly meant to be played. Now, to tell you the terms of this duel, but first we need our spectators!"

Slowly, all of the people on the wall of the Shadow Realm then appeared, and as well as a sphere of flames. Illidan breathed a sigh of relief that they were alright, for now.

"Here is how this Shadow Game shall be played. Notice I've put your friends in a circle this time around the field. Notice that also there is a flaming sphere in the center. This time we'll be playing a game with this roulette."

Suddenly, Illidan noticed one person was missing. "WHERE IS MARIE?" he demanded.

Gozaburo only chuckled and replied with "Since there were 19 people, I couldn't do this game fairly, so I had to take one person out of it. Now that there are 18 people, it's a fair game. The game is simple. I'm going to spot you 100 extra life points, thus giving you 8100. Lose 450 or more life points, and the roulette activates. Whatever person it lands on is then fed to the Shadow Realm! That means even lose one life point, and the roulette shall activate, muwhahaha!"

Illidan looked around in great fright. "_That means I can't lose one single point! If I do, someone will be sent into the Shadow Realm. That is not good._" "Still, you haven't answered my question. Where is Marie?" demanded Illidan again.

Gozaburo only chuckled lightly and said "Right where she belongs; on my side!" Suddenly, Marie appeared on his left side. The Millennium Symbol was glowing brightly on her forehead, and her eyes had a glazed over look. She was smiling quite evilly as well.

Illidan slightly gasped, knowing exactly what Gozaburo had done to her. He had taken over her mind, yet again. "Let her go Gozaburo! It's not her you want, it's me!" Illidan cried out.

Gozaburo only laughed, and said "She wanted to be on my side Illidan, isn't that right my dear?"

Marie then replied "Yes it is my love! Illidan, you shall no longer deceive me! Gozaburo has shown me how you deceived me and used me all those years ago! Now I'm with the one I truly loved in those times, and the one I truly love now."

This felt like a knife going through Illidan's heart. The woman he loved was now professing her undying love for his greatest enemy. It hurt, even though Illidan knew she was under Gozaburo's control.

"Now I'll tell you what the deal is with her on my side. When I lose life points, a part of Marie's body shall drift into the Shadow Realm. But that won't happen, cause I'll protect Marie!" called out Gozaburo.

Illidan was horrified by the terms of this Shadow Game. Now he had to fight Gozaburo, but if he did do damage to Gozaburo, Marie would suffer. If he did nothing and let Gozaburo beat him, his friends and the world would suffer. The ultimate Shadow Game was now on, and Illidan was left with the ultimate decision of his life.


	130. Chapter 130: End Game, Pt 1

**Hey everyone. Glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter. When naming this chapter, I thought about calling it something silly, hehe. I was going to name it after a flash video I saw called _Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny_. After thinking about it though, I didn't want to be that silly, so I just named it differently. But anyways, thanks everyone for the comments. I'm glad everyone has enjoyed this story so far. Hopefully all will like the end, but that is a ways off yet. Till then, enjoy yourselves. Now, time to get down to answering some reviews.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Yeah, much like Yami Marik, Gozaburo can't play without causing some kind of pain. Cool that you're leaving for vacation soon. My family is leaving this weekend as well. Lol, they're leaving for a week, so I'll be home alone, which is good I guess. But yeah, don't worry about it. I hope you have a good vacation.**

**Ryon Nakura: LOL! You should have used your one phone call to call me. Maybe I'd come get you out of jail.**

**Berry Kisses: Very romantic indeed.**

**Fire Princess: Smacks Ryou in head with a metal pole to make him stop cackling. Why are you all looking at me like that? He was annoying me, lol. Chased by crazy fangirls. CINDY, HELP ME! Sees her sitting on the side and shaking her head.**

**Strawberry Cake: I'd come visit the hospital, but I'm a bit busy at the moment. Leaps to the top of a building so girls can't follow. Ha! Try and attack me now! Doesn't see Cindy behind him. She proceeds to knock me back over the side. NO!**

**Brianna Ishtar: Lol, but he loves you. Uh, yeah, he's a bit disturbed, without Marik's help, hehe.**

**sweetxokissesxo: Slashes supposed zombie in half with claws. Oops, it's a fangirl instead. Oh well, same difference, other than one can make halfway decent conversation, sometimes…**

**pink-kiss-candy: Lol, you should know better than to read that book. After all, it's things even I care not to see, so that tells you something, lol.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks, lol. I thought I'd make this Shadow Game a bit different from others. Yep, someone has to go if Illidan loses a single point. Lol, a groupie sounds about right, hehe. Indeed, it is going out with a bang.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, he's mental, lol. This Shadow Game was an interesting one to write. I think it turned out pretty good, overall.**

**Well, that's it guys. I hope you all enjoy. I'll make sure to have more posted tomorrow. Till then, enjoy this chapter. Later.**

**Chapter 130**

While Illidan stood there lost in thought, Gozaburo began his turn. "Now I draw. Hmm, not a bad card, if do say so myself. I'll even show you Illidan. I play the magic card Painful Choice! This card allows me to pick any 5 cards from my deck and show them to you. Then you decide which one I get to move to my hand, while the rest go to the Graveyard. And I think I'll choose these five cards!"

Illidan only stood there, still lost to what was going on. "_How could he even dare to put Marie in this position? Doesn't he realize she could possibly be sent to the Shadow Realm?_"

Illidan was torn from his thoughts by Gozaburo saying "Choose from these five cards Illidan. The five are Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, and Exodia the Forbidden One!" All five cards were shown visible on Gozaburo's field, making Illidan decide.

Up on the wall, Seto silently thought to himself "_This is the same move Gozaburo made against me when I dueled him last time. That means he's trying to summon Exodia Necross. I only hope Illidan can figure that one out before it's too late._"

Back on the field, Illidan examined all five cards. He knew this was how Gozaburo was most likely going to summon his Exodia Necross. After a moment of thought, Illidan said "Keep the Right Arm of the Forbidden One."

Gozaburo chuckled and said "Good, good. Now I send the other four pieces of Exodia to the Graveyard. Next I set one monster. That shall end my turn." (Gozaburo 8000, Illidan 8100)

Illidan slowly drew his card and looked at it. It was his Monster Gate. He now had Reasoning, Sinister Serpent, Metalmorph, Dark Renewal, Draining Shield, and Monster Gate in his hand. "_Not a great hand to start with. But what do I do? If I attack Gozaburo directly, Marie will get hurt. I can't do that, even though I know I have to attack sometime._"

Slowly, his thoughts became very troublesome to him. "_If I don't attack and let Gozaburo win, Marie will be safe, but the others… The others will be sent to the Shadow Realm, the world will be plunged into darkness, and Gozaburo shall be the most powerful man in this world! I can't let that happen. But if I attack, I'll be hurting Marie and send her into the Shadow Realm. I don't want that though! Grr, darn Gozaburo! He left me with a decision that is impossible to make!_" He put his head in his hands, trying hard to come up with a decision.

Along the wall, Tristan said "What is Illidan waiting for? Why doesn't he attack Gozaburo and do some damage?"

Joey softly said "Because he can't. He's in a position where he is stuck."

Tristan only turned to Joey and said "Huh? If he don't attack and win this duel, we'll all be heading to the Shadow Realm!"

Joey then turned to Tristan and said "But if he does attack, he'll be hurting Marie. You don't understand man. He loves her with all his heart. Have you ever seen a love that was so strong that one of the two couldn't ever bring themselves to hurt the other?"

Tristan slowly replied "No, but he has to do it in order to save everyone. If he doesn't, we and the world are going to be gone forever!"

Mai then said "But if he attacks, the one person he loves so dearly will be gone. I sympathize with Illidan's torment, but he has to do what he knows is right."

Yami then said to Yugi "He can't do it I think."

Yugi turned to Yami and said "You mean attack Gozaburo?"

Yami nodded and replied with "He loves her so deeply that he could never bring himself to make that kind of decision. But he knows the cost, and I think in the end, that will force him to do what he knows deep down in his heart that he has to do."

On the field, Illidan still struggled to decide. "_There is no way around it. I have to beat Gozaburo, some how. But I can't do it without hurting Marie! Darn him!_" Suddenly, something came to him. "_Maybe he'd do this one._"

"Gozaburo! Let Marie go and switch the game to punish me instead of her. That way when I attack you, I'll be attacking myself! Then you would get what you want when I would beat you." called out Illidan.

Gozaburo only began one of his maniacal laughter's. Slowly, Gozaburo calmed down and said "That is up to Marie. How about my dear?"

Marie only grinned and burst out loud laughing. "You think you can bribe my faith now Illidan? If you love me so much, then let me be with Gozaburo! He truly loves me, unlike you! You used me in ancient times, and I won't let you use me again in these times!" she cried out.

This struck Illidan hard. He had never once used her for anything in the past or the present.

"Marie," he began, "please, let me save you. There is no need for you to be put through the pain of this Shadow Game. Please, I'm pleading with you, if not begging you, try and break free and let me take your place!" Illidan's brown eyes were already showing signs of tears in the corners. The last thing he wanted to do was put her in a dangerous position, but Gozaburo didn't seem to care what he wanted.

Marie only grinned at Illidan and said "No, I'll stand behind the man that truly loves me! So your offer is dejected!"

Illidan felt as if his heart was being shattered by those words. He knew this wasn't really Marie talking, but to see her saying it, it hurt. Gozaburo then joined in her laughter as Illidan seemed to lose all hope of saving her. He stood there, thinking of how he could even attempt to duel when the woman he truly loved with all his heart and soul was in danger. "_I can't do it! If I fight, I lose Marie. If I don't fight, I lose everyone else I care about._"

Suddenly, something flashed in Illidan's mind. It was when he had been talking to her about the visions about this final duel. She had told him then, no matter what, he had to win. "No matter what Illidan, know I love you, and I want you to win, even if that means sacrificing me or someone else. They would understand, as would I."

At the time, Illidan had tried to convince her that he would never be able to do that, but she then told him something.

"Illidan, if you're to save the world, you have to go in and do whatever it takes to win. Once you've won, you can correct everything with the power of your Millennium Key, and even the power of the Millennium Crown. You must be strong. Don't hold back due that I'm in danger. I always promise to love you, and respect what you have to do to save us all."

With this in mind, Illidan realized she may have known how this duel would go. She may have even known that she would be in danger. With this in mind, Illidan decided he had to do the one thing he hated to do. He had to fight with everything he had, even if that meant losing Marie. He would be able to bring her back if he won, so with that in mind, his confidence grew. He then looked up at Gozaburo with new confidence. Gozaburo looked curiously at Illidan, pondering why this young man suddenly had a new look of confidence on his face.

"Alright, I'll start by summoning my Sinister Serpent (300/250) in defense mode." A small green snake with wings appeared on the field in a coiled up position. It flicked its tongue in and out at Gozaburo slightly, kind of teasing him.

Gozaburo only began to laugh and said "So, you couldn't do it, could you Illidan? I didn't figure you…"

"I'm not done yet though! Now I play the magic card known as Monster Gate!" called out Illidan. Suddenly, a portal opened up on the field. The portal shimmered with a slight blue light.

"Now I can sacrifice my Sinister Serpent to Monster Gate!" Illidan said with confidence. The small serpent was then sucked in, causing the gate to shimmer brighter.

"Next, I can now draw from my deck till I pick up a monster. Any magic or trap cards are automatically discarded to my Graveyard. Also, when I pick up a monster, I can special summon it to the field, unless it has requirements about being special summoned. Now, here goes!"

Illidan then drew his next card and smiled at it. "And the monster I special summon now is here compliments of Bandit Keith! Come through the gate Perfect Machine King (2700/1500)!" The portal glowed brighter as the large robot slowly climbed out of the gate. The large red and white robot then slightly moaned as his missiles on his back shined brightly. The portal then closed once the machine monster had climbed out.

"I'm not done yet Gozaburo. Now I play the magic card known as Reasoning! This magic card allows you to guess one monster level. Then I draw from my deck till I find a monster. Any magic and trap cards are automatically discarded. Also, if you guess the monster's level that I draw right, that monster is automatically discarded. But, if you guess wrong, that monster is special summoned as long as it has requirements to be special summoned. Now, let's get down to business, so guess a monster level!"

Gozaburo immediately blurted out "I'll guess level 4, since it's the best average monster level for all decks."

Illidan only smiled and drew. His grin grew wider at the card he saw. "You guessed wrong, and here is the proof. I now play a monster that I won from one of the best rivals I've ever had. I special summon Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!" Suddenly, the powerful black dragon appeared. It spread its wings and opened up its red eyes. Then it let loose a mighty screech.

Joey was shocked to see his Red-Eyes out already. "Oh yeah, Gozaburo is in for a butt kicking now guys!" he yelled.

Smiling at Joey's comment, Illidan then called out "Now for that monster you set. Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack it with Inferno Fire Blast!" With a quick beat of his wings, the dragon was in the air and then opened its jaws. A sphere of red energy began to form within its mouth. Finally, the dragon spat the blast at the face down monster. Easily, the card image was shattered and an arm with a chain on the end of it appeared. It was easily destroyed by the blast as well.

Gozaburo began to chuckle, saying "Thanks to your attack Illidan, you sent the Right Arm of the Forbidden One (200/300) to the Graveyard! Now hurry up and finish your turn!"

Illidan then said "Who said I was done?"

Gozaburo stared at him in shock. "You wouldn't dare direct attack me, seeing how you know what will happen. I'm not buying into your bluff, for I know you. You love Marie too much to attack and hurt her."

Illidan then lowered his face to where his eyes were covered in the shadow of his hair. "You don't know me well enough Gozaburo. She wouldn't want to be your shield, and would want me to do whatever it takes to save this world. That's why I have to do this!" Illidan said in a sad, yet calm voice.

Gozaburo looked in horror, knowing what Illidan was saying. "You're bluffing! I know it!" he yelled.

"Let's find out. Thanks to Red-Eyes destroying a monster, my Deck Master allows him to attack again. Red-Eyes Black Dragon, direct attack Gozaburo with Inferno Fire Blast!" The black dragon then let loose yet another blast of red energy, this one direct at Gozaburo directly.

Tears lightly fell from Illidan's eyes as he had made that command. As the blast traveled across the field, he yelled out "Forgive me Marie, I'm sorry!"

The blast struck Gozaburo hard, making him slide back slightly. He groaned at the slight pain, but that was nothing. Marie then screamed out in pain as part of her body slowly disappeared into the Shadow Realm. Once the pain had ended, she glared at Illidan, saying "WHY ARE YOU HURTING ME? I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME!"

It hurt to hear that from Marie, but Illidan only stared at Gozaburo. "Perfect Machine King, attack Gozaburo directly with Missile Decimation!" called out Illidan. The huge machine then aimed its two arms at Gozaburo and launched the missiles on its arms and back. A storm of missiles rained down on Gozaburo, making him scream in pain as he sank to one knee.

Then Marie cried out in pain as yet more of her body disappeared. All that was left when the Shadows were finished were her hands, her head, part of her chest, one leg, and a foot. She then glared at Illidan again, this time with extreme anger in her eyes. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! JUST GO DIE!" she screamed at Illidan.

This hurt Illidan deeply. Tears began to fall from his eyes at those words being said to him by Marie. Three words Illidan had never expected to hear from Marie were those words. The words "I hate you" was something he never wanted to hear from her of all people. His tears softly fell down his cheeks. He then said "Marie, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I love you. But you yourself told me, we can't let him win this duel. For the sake of the world, I have to do what I don't want to. I'll set you free before this duel is over, I promise. Now I'll set one card face down and end my turn." (Gozaburo 2900, Illidan 8100)

On the wall, everyone was kind of shocked that Illidan had just wiped out over half of Gozaburo's life points. What was even more shocking was that Marie had said those three words to Illidan.

"My heart goes out to Illidan. It has to be heartbreaking to attack Gozaburo, knowing full well that he's hurting Marie as well." Shadi said.

Most of the others agreed. "Illidan is so close to winning this duel though. Soon we'll be free and be able to get a shower. Don't take this the wrong way, but some of you stink!" Tea said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Yami only stared on. Yugi looked over to see that hard stare that said everything. "It's not over, is it Yami?" asked Yugi.

"No, I'd say it's far from over Yugi. It's only just begun." replied Yami.


	131. Chapter 131: End Game, Pt 2

**Hey everyone. Wow! I have 500 reviews! Thank you all. I never once imagined this thing would make it to 500 reviews when I wrote it originally. I expected maybe something around a hundred, or maybe slightly more, but over 500 is just unbelievable. You all are awesome, and for that reason, I'm going to post two chapters today. Time to answer some reviews.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Not quite everyone. Illidan and a few others guess 4, but some guessed higher, like Seto. Normally though, as many suggested in the story, four is the logical number. Since there are some higher level monsters than that in decks, it's possible to be wrong.**

**Isis the Sphinx: It's no prob about not reviewing last time. It happens. Thanks, and hopefully it will be a surprise at the end.**

**Ryon Nakura: I'm in the book. Just look under Half Demon Protection Agency. Oh yeah, and you dialed the other Illidan's number, not mine. That place has a wonderful set of messages. Sure Ryon, Ryou robbed a bank… Laughs Looks to see Ryon disappear into the floor. He'll be back… possibly.**

**Berry Kisses: Lol, at least you know you're loved. Looks at note again. You can just feel his love coming from it.**

**Fire Princess: Hmm, the devil costume don't match you Ryou. It's more of a Marik or Bakura type of costume. I have a better one for you though. Throws him a Marik costume. Try that one, but make sure you show Ryon too, hehe.**

**Strawberry Cake: Nurse, can I pull the plug? She looks around and then nods. Yay! Jerks plug out of wall on old woman. Nurse: "NOT HER!" Old lady croaks. Oh well, she was old anyways. What was she in for? Nurse: "Constipation…"**

**Brianna Ishtar: Nah, he cares deeply for Ryou. It's just to the level that he wants to kill him, lol. I have the same deal with my step mother's dog. I tell it I want to kill it, yet it knows I care… I think, hehe.**

**sweetxokissesxo: Rips off Bakura costume. Sorry, but only Bakura has that right. Well, him and Marik, hehe.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, Illidan finally made up his mind and took it to Gozaburo hard and fast. There could be cards not known of in his deck, but who knows, well, other than me, lol. Yeah, Cindy said that was rather cruel of me to have Marie say that, but as I told her, she's being controlled. Can't help what you say when you're controlled. I'm sure she'd make it up to him. It's over five actually. I'll let the number be a surprise though.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Indeed he did do some major blasting, but most of Marie is gone due to it. You know, I never realized that I had those two's monsters out and that the two monsters were working together. Lol, that is a bit ironic.**

**x-knight20: Yeah, this duel is the saddest of the entire story.**

**Well, that's that. Thanks everyone for your continued reviews, and to those who read but don't review, don't feel shy. I enjoy comments, so feel free to leave some feedback, good or bad. At any rate, I'm outta here for the morning everyone. Enjoy the chapters. Later.**

**Chapter 131**

Gozaburo suddenly began to laugh manically. He just continued to laugh and laugh, like it was an uncontrollable fit. Finally, he settled down and pointed at Illidan, saying "You're so foolish Illidan! You think you have this duel won by attacking me twice, but you only have hurt yourself and Marie. Now I'll show you how much I care about Marie by playing the magic card Spell Absorption! This magic card allows me to gain 500 life points every time a magic card is played. Next I play the magic card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 new cards. Also, it allows me to gain 500 life points thanks to Spell Absorption, so I not only helped my hand, I helped Marie regain part of her body."

Slowly, due to the 500 point boost, part of Marie's body returned to the field. She smiled at Gozaburo and said "Thank you my love. I knew you'd be there for me, unlike that other fool Illidan!"

Gozaburo only smiled back at her and said "I'd always help you my dear. Now watch as I play yet another magic card Illidan, called Contract with Exodia! Since all five pieces of Exodia are now in the Graveyard, I can play this card. It allows me to special summon the monster known as Exodia Necross (1800/0)!" Suddenly a large black figure then appeared on the field. Unlike its name sake, it was black, and possessed few powers. It struck a pose as it finally was fully on the field. Gozaburo grinned evilly as his powerful monster appeared.

"Next, thanks to Spell Absorption, I get 500 life points back, thus helping Marie even more." Slowly, more of Marie's body then returned to her. Gozaburo then smiled and said "I now play this magic card, the card known as Terraforming! This card allows me to add one field card from my deck to my hand, and then I shuffle. So, I add Necrovalley to my hand. As well, I gain 500 life points again thanks to Spell Absorption. Next I shall play Necrovalley!" Suddenly the scenery of the Shadow Realm began to change. A large valley appeared with a setting sun. It was almost like they were back in Egypt.

Gozaburo lightly chuckled, seeing Illidan's slight confusion. "Thanks to this field card, neither of us can now use magic, trap, or monster effects on our Graveyard. Also, any Gravekeeper type monsters gain 500 attack and defense points from this field card. Finally, I gain yet another 500 life points due to Spell Absorption." Again, slowly Marie regained some more of her body. In this turn alone, Gozaburo had regained 2000 life points, bringing him back up to 4900.

Chuckling lightly, Gozaburo then held yet another two cards in his hand. "Now I play the magic card known as Dark Room of Nightmare! This card allows me to do another 300 damage to your life points when I do damage to you other than battle damage. As well, I gain yet another 500 life points, thus reviving more of Marie." Marie then regained yet more of her body thanks to the life point boost.

"Now, I'll summon Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) in defense mode." A man in a black robe then appeared. He had a bit of an aura around him, and a sparkle of mischief in his eyes.

Gozaburo then said "Don't forget that Necrovalley now boosts his points by 500 (1300/1300)." The robed man then glowed with more power as his points increased.

"But that's not all Illidan. Now for the best part. When summoned, his effect kicks in. His effect allows me to do 500 damage to your life points. Also, Dark Room of Nightmare kicks in, thus doing yet another 300 damage, for a grand total of 800 damage to your life points!"

The man in the black robe then put his hands together and pointed them at Illidan. He then closed his eyes and energy began to glow around him. Suddenly a burst of energy struck Illidan, causing Illidan to slightly flinch.

Gozaburo only laughed at Illidan and said "Now that you lost 800 life points, the Shadow Game kicks in. That roulette in the center will now spin around and select the first person to be sent into the Shadows!"

Illidan looked in horror as the flaming sphere began to circle around his friends. "LEAVE THEM ALONE GOZABURO!" he quickly screamed.

Gozaburo only laughed at him. Slowly, the sphere of flame slowed till finally it stopped. Everyone gasped as it nearly stopped right in front Joey, but then it slowly moved over to Bandit Keith.

"COME ON, THIS THING IS RIGGED!" screamed Keith. Joey let out a sigh of relief, but Keith was extremely upset.

"Well Keith, looks like you're heading for the Shadow Realm. You just have the worst luck. Anyways, good ridden, muwhahaha!" called Gozaburo.

Slowly, Keith was disappearing. He screamed, for he was in terrible pain. Finally, the Shadow Realm completely engulfed him.

Illidan growled out of frustration. "I'm sorry Keith…" he said lightly.

"Don't get downhearted Illidan. There is yet another person to head for the Shadows, muwhahaha!" called Gozaburo.

The sphere of flame then began to move around again. Illidan watched with eyes of sadness as it continued to circle. For what seemed an eternity, it circled till it slowed and completely stopped on Odion.

"NO, NOT ODION!" cried out Marik.

"Farewell Odion, you fool!" called Gozaburo. Slowly, Odion began to fade away. He screamed in pain as his body slowly drifted into the Shadow Realm.

"I'm sorry Master Marik, please forgive me!" he called out as he disappeared.

"ODION!" screamed Marik. Tears were flowing down both Marik and Ishizu's face as finally Odion disappeared.

Gozaburo only laughed at their reactions, saying "You can only blame one person for your friend's destruction, and that's Illidan!"

Illidan looked at both with the most sorrowful look. He knew how much Odion had meant to both, and wished he'd been able to save him. Both looked at him with tears still in their eyes.

Slowly, Marik said with defiance in his voice "I could never blame Illidan, for he did all he could to save Odion! It is you who is at fault Gozaburo! Take him down Illidan, for Odion!"

Ishizu nodded with her brother's statement and said "We believe in you, so do all that you can to make Odion's sacrifice not be in vain! You can do it!"

Illidan nodded, and said "I will. Now finish up Gozaburo!"

Gozaburo only frowned that those two didn't blame him for their loss. Shrugging, he then said "I place one card face down and end my turn. Make your move, if you can Illidan!" (Gozaburo 5400, Illidan 7300)

Illidan drew from his deck and looked at the Cyber Harpie Lady he had just drawn. "_It's Mai's favorite card. I'll have to put it to good use._" "I summon the monster I won from Mai, Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300), in attack mode!" A woman like creature with wings on her arms, claws, and talons for feet appeared on the field.

"Next for the fun part of this turn. I activate the trap card Metalmorph, and equip it to Red-Eyes Black Dragon, raising his points by 300 (2700/2300)!" Suddenly the black dragon began to be coated in metal. He let loose a loud roar once he was made up of solid metal.

"Now he's Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, and he's a machine monster, thus activating Perfect Machine King's special ability. When a machine monster other than himself is on the field, he gains 500 more attack points (3200/1500)." The powerful robot then glowed as his power increased.

"Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, attack Exodia Necross now with Flash Flare Blast!" The powerful metal dragon then aimed for the large black monster and fired a powerful blast.

"By the way, I forgot to mention what Metalmorph's other effect is. It raises Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon's attack points by half of the monster I attack during my turn. That means Red-Eyes gains half of Exodia Necross's attack points (2700 + 900 3600/2300)! This one is for Odion and Keith!"

About this time, the blast struck Gozaburo's powerful monster. Marie screamed out in pain as part of her body disappeared again back into the Shadow Realm. Joey and a few others cheered on the wall, thinking that it was over, but it wasn't. Slowly, as the smoke cleared, they saw Exodia Necross still standing.

"What is going on?" called out Joey.

Gozaburo only laughed and said "It's simple. My Exodia Necross can't be destroyed due to battle. That means he's going absolutely nowhere."

Illidan only lightly chuckled and said "Yes, that means he's going nowhere, and that he's a huge target for my two monsters. Now Perfect Machine King, attack his Exodia Necross with Missile Decimation!" The huge robot then fired all his missiles, striking the huge black monster yet again, causing it to howl in pain. As the smoke cleared, it was obvious that the huge monster was still there.

"Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Gravekeeper's Curse with Cyber Slash!" The powerful Harpie then took to the sky and slashed the robed monster with her sharp talons. Easily, the robed man was destroyed by the slash.

Gozaburo only chuckled though. "You've just triggered my trap card Illidan! I activate Rite of Spirit, which allows me to bring back one Gravekeeper from my Graveyard…"

Illidan interrupted with "Wait, Necrovalley keeps us from using out Graveyards. How can you even expect that trap to work then?"

Gozaburo only chuckled again and said "Because in Rite of Spirit's text, it says it works even with Necrovalley out! Now I revive the monster you just sent to the Graveyard. Return my Gravekeeper's Curse (800 + 500 1300/800 + 500 1300) in defense mode!" Suddenly the black roped man that was just destroyed reappeared on the field. The man grinned evilly at Illidan and then began to glow.

"Oh yeah, did you forget Illidan? When I special summon Gravekeeper's Curse, I can automatically do 500 direct damage to you, plus 300 more thanks to Dark Room of Nightmare. Now you lose 800 life points!"

The man then brought his hands forward and fired a blast at Illidan. It hit him, causing him to slightly slide back, but like only an inch or so.

Gozaburo then laughed and said "Now you know the penalty for losing life points, and you just lost 800 more, meaning you lose two friends. Watch as the roulette selects which two!"

Slowly, the sphere of fire began to circle around the group. Illidan watched it carefully, afraid of whom it might land on. At last, it slowed down and finally stopped nearly on Seto. Then it slightly moved over to Mokuba.

Gozaburo smiled and said "So much for little Mokuba. I never liked him anyways. Now be gone!"

Mokuba cried out in pain as he slowly was being sent into the Shadow Realm. "SETO, HELP ME!" he screamed.

Seto desperately tried to get free and reach for Mokuba, but his efforts were in vain. Finally, Mokuba disappeared, leaving Seto screaming "NOOO! MOKUBA, WHERE ARE YOU?" He looked and looked around, but couldn't find Mokuba. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM GOZABURO?" screamed Seto quite angrily.

Gozaburo only looked up at Seto and laughed, saying "You're a fool Seto. Can't you tell he's gone? Now, onto more important things. Roulette, spin again!"

Suddenly the small sphere of flame began to move again. Seto was still looking around desperately for Mokuba, but realized he was no where to be found. Suddenly, the sphere slowed down and stopped in front of Tristan.

"Ah man, just my luck…" Tristan said flatly. He then began to disappear, slowly fading into the Shadow Realm. He screamed in pain as his body slowly faded.

"NO, TRISTAN!" called out Serenity. Tears formed in her eyes as her friend slowly faded away. All of his friends were shocked it was him this time. Tea lightly sobbed for her friend, as did Joey and the others. Yugi even shed tears, for his friend didn't deserve that.

"If you're looking for one to blame, blame Illidan. If he had just given up, no one would have to suffer like this. Hate him for what he's done!" Gozaburo said evilly.

The group all looked down at Illidan, who had tears in his eyes, for Tristan had been his friend as well.

"No, it's not his fault. You're the one who started this whole Shadow Game, so it's your fault! You're the one who sent Tristan to the Shadow Realm! It's your fault Gozaburo!" screamed Tea.

Gozaburo only chuckled, replying with "Think what you will, but I believe Illidan could have saved you all. If he'd have given up when we started, you wouldn't have suffered. None of you would."

Illidan only looked at Gozaburo with anger flaring up in his eyes, saying "What, you'd have wanted them to serve you as mindless slaves the rest of their lives! How stupid are you to think something like that?"

Gozaburo only chuckled, replying with "Think what you want Illidan, but when you're left all alone, you'll see. Now finish up."

Illidan looked at his field for a second and then said "I place one card face down and end my move." (Gozaburo 2200, Illidan 6600)

Gozaburo drew and smiled evilly. "First, in my Standby Phase, Exodia Necross gains 500 attack points (2300/0)." The large black creature then glowed with an eerie black glow, slowly increasing its strength.

"I now play the magic card known as Card of Demise. This card allows me to draw till I hold 5 cards in my hand. Also, I must discard my hand in five turns. But that won't matter soon enough. Also, I gain 500 life points thanks to Spell Absorption." A small piece of Marie's body then returned as Gozaburo gained some life points.

"Next I place one card face down, and now I play this magic card. The magic card called Emergency Provisions. Now I can destroy the card I just placed face down in order to gain 1000 life points. Also, I gain an additional 500 life points thanks to Spell Absorption. Finally, the trap card I just destroyed is known as Statue of the Wicked. When this card is destroyed, I'm allowed to special summon one Wicked Token (1000/1000) to the field, and I'll place it in defense mode." A serpent like creature then appeared on Gozaburo's field in a defensive stance. As well, Marie gained more of her body back from the Shadow Realm.

"Finally, I'll set one monster in defensive mode. That shall end my turn." (Gozaburo 4200, Illidan 6600)

On the wall, the others looked on, hoping Illidan could win. "Man, every time Illidan makes headway, Gozaburo raises his life points back up to where they were. Illidan just has to find a way to make Gozaburo hit 0 life points." commented Duke.

Joey then said "He'll find a way, but I hope he can forgive himself for what he had to do in order to get there. After all, it's Marie that suffers when Illidan attacks, not Gozaburo."

Everyone nodded, hoping that Illidan could pull off a win in this duel, for their own fates, along with the world's hung in the balance.


	132. Chapter 132: End Game, Pt 3

**Chapter 132**

Illidan looked at his deck and hoped something good was about to come up. He needed something in order to knock Gozaburo's life points completely out. Slowly, he drew and then looked at the card. He was shocked at the card he held. He grinned, knowing this might help Marie more than anything else he could say or do.

"Marie, I hope you're listening, because I don't want you to miss this. Now I sacrifice my Perfect Machine King and Cyber Harpie Lady in order to summon Marie's favorite monster. I summon Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500)!" The large machine monster and the lady bird disappeared and a huge orange dragon appeared. It roared as it spread its wings.

It then stared straight at Marie and roared again, seemingly saying "WAKE UP!" Marie's eyes went wide, for she saw the monster that had been her own soul monster.

Something inside of her sparked, as memories of the past flooded into her. She remembered when she had just started training back in ancient times. Illidan had showed her his soul monster, his Dark Magician of Chaos, and told her she probably had a soul monster as well. She was looking along a wall that had all the monsters carved into stone when she saw the large dragon on that wall.

She had asked Illidan what monster that was, and he simply said "That my dear Marie is a monster known as Tyrant Dragon. It's a rather powerful dragon, even stronger than my Dark Magician of Chaos. The problem is it's choosy with who controls it. Few here in Egypt can control it. Even I have had trouble trying to summon and control it. I can summon it, but controlling it is difficult."

She stared at the carving for a moment, and finally said "That dragon seems to be calling out to me."

Illidan was shocked by that comment, and said "Possibly it wishes for you to be its master. It could be your soul monster, but who knows. It's a strong monster is the problem, so I'd wait a while before trying to summon it."

She did wait, for almost three years. Finally, desperate in her duel against Illidan to get on the Shadow Court, she tried summoning Tyrant Dragon. Everyone had thought she was far too weak to, but she proved she wasn't. That day she successfully summoned that monster, and defeated Illidan's own Dark Magician of Chaos with it.

Then she remembered that it was only a few days later that Illidan declared his love for her, and she declared hers for him. Suddenly, memories of times with Illidan started filling up her head. Memories of Illidan showing his love for her began to appear.

Slowly, it made her realize that she was being controlled by Gozaburo. This caused her to try and break free of Gozaburo's control. She struggled against the sheer might of the Millennium Crown, calling forth all the power within her Millennium Necklace. About this time, Gozaburo realized what Illidan had done. He had tried to set Marie free again from his control.

Growling, he screamed "SHE ISN'T YOURS ANYMORE ILLIDAN, SO LEAVE HER ALONE!"

With the power of his Millennium Crown, he began to force his way back into Marie's mind. Marie screamed in pain as Gozaburo was attempting to retake control of her mind.

Rather than stand for this, Illidan powered up his Millennium Key and entered her mind as well. There he saw Gozaburo attempting to encircle her mind with his darkness as he had before. Quickly, like last time, Illidan ran into the darkness and found Marie, who was desperately trying to keep herself from being taken control of by pouring out a light energy.

Illidan quickly pulled her into his arms and said "Don't be afraid Marie, it's me."

She slowly brought her own hands up to his arms and felt them, making sure it was him. "Illidan, I'm so scared. I can't fight him off. Get out of here while you still can!"

Illidan shook his head and said "No, I won't leave you in this torment. Together we can get him out of your mind. Are you with me?"

She thought for a second before finally she said "Yes, I am."

Illidan then powered up his Millennium Key again and began to make a barrier of light. Slowly, he pushed Gozaburo's darkness back as he had before. Marie then joined him, allowing her power to flare from her Millennium Necklace. Slowly, the two pushed Gozaburo's darkness back further and further, till they couldn't push no further. Gozaburo growled in frustration and called forth all the power in his Millennium Crown, pushing the darkness in closer and closer to the two.

"I CAN'T HOLD HIM MUCH LONGER ILLIDAN! I'm so sorry!" Marie cried out to Illidan.

It was all Illidan could do though to hold his own barrier up, and he knew once she gave out, they'd be finished.

Struggling to summon all his power, he screamed "I WON'T LET HIM HURT YOU ANYMORE!"

Marie then saw Illidan stand and pour all his power out in a magnificent display. His power flared out, banishing a good bit of the darkness in her mind, but it was costly to him. As soon as he had pushed all the darkness back, his power began to crumble. Marie watched in horror as Illidan went to one knee beside her. He no longer had enough power to save them.

Horrified, Marie realized this was it, but then Illidan said "Don't give up… You can still do it. You can beat him, I know it!"

She looked at him in shock, but didn't have long to stare. Suddenly Gozaburo's darkness lashed out against the small barrier of light she had. It struck it, nearly destroying it. She tried to continue to hold it up, but it wasn't much use. She suddenly then realized both her and Illidan would be destroyed if she didn't do something quick. She had so much left to do with Illidan though. She couldn't give up, but things weren't looking good. As she felt the darkness closing in, she felt his hand find hers. Looking down, she saw him give a slight smile at her. Suddenly it just happened like before. Her power began to flare out, forcing the darkness to back away.

Gozaburo realized suddenly what was happening. Her hidden power was coming out of hiding as it had always done in desperate times. Then without warning, her power doubled, pushing all the darkness out of her mind and forcing Gozaburo to take a feedback blast. He dizzily stepped back as his mind was sent reeling.

In Marie's mind, Illidan then stood up with Marie's help. The two looked at one another, and Illidan hugged her, and said "I'm so thankful you're alright." She returned the hug, with tears in her eyes.

She then said "Thank you for saving me. Now, you still have something left to do."

Illidan slowly released his hug on her. He looked in her eyes, knowing what was left to do. "I know… I just wish I didn't have to do it…" he said sadly.

Marie then looked at him with tears in her own eyes. "Illidan, I understand. Do what you know you have to do. Remember, I can be saved after you win, but the others can't be saved if you lose. Save them all, and save the world. And remember one thing always. I will always love you, forever and always."

Tears slightly fell from his eyes as he said "I will always love you forever and always as well. I promise, no matter what, I'll find a way to bring you back." He then gently kissed her, and then left the presence of her mind.

Returning to his body on the field, he then looked up to see Marie finally free from Gozaburo's control. She nodded to him, letting him know what to do. "Gozaburo, you're finished! Tyrant Dragon, attack Exodia Necross with Tyrant Flame!" called out Illidan. The powerful orange dragon roared and let loose a huge stream of fire from his mouth at the large black monster. Moans of pain could be heard from Exodia Necross as the fire scorched his skin. Once the fire was over though, Exodia Necross still stood tall.

"Now Tyrant Dragon's special ability is activated. Due that there is one monster on the field, Tyrant Dragon can attack again! Tyrant Dragon, attack his face down monster with Tyrant Flame!" Gozaburo looked up as the large dragon let loose yet another stream of hot fire at his face down monster. Gozaburo had now recovered from his feedback and grinned evilly as the card image was smashed. Out of the image came a woman in black robes. She looked like Gravekeeper's Curse, except female.

Gozaburo only laughed and said "You've attacked my Gravekeeper's Spy (1200 + 500 1700/2000 + 500 2500), which has an effect. When she's flipped face up, I'm allowed to special summon one Gravekeeper from my deck with 1500 or less attack points in either attack or defense mode! And I choose another Gravekeeper's Curse (1300/1300) in defense mode!" Suddenly another man in black robes appeared. He then glowed and focused the glow into his hands, which he pointed at Illidan.

"As you remember Illidan, Gravekeeper's Curse automatically reduces your life points by 500 thanks to it's special summoning. Also, you lose 300 more due to Dark Room of Nightmare!" bragged Gozaburo. Suddenly the blast in the man's hand fired directly at Illidan, striking him hard and making him fall to one knee.

Gozaburo only laughed manically and said "Now the roulette activates! Let's see which two shall go to the Shadow Realm!"

The flaming sphere started to slowly circle the field. Little by little, it slowed down after it's first round. Finally, it stopped on Noa. Everyone let out a bit of a gasp, for they knew Noa was Gozaburo's son.

Gozaburo sneered at Noa and said "Well, well son, it's your turn to go. If you hadn't betrayed me, you could have helped rule this new world I'm creating. Too bad you were such a fool. Now be gone you traitor!"

Noa screamed in pain as he was slowly dissolved. Before he was gone, he looked down at Illidan and screamed "TAKE HIM DOWN ILLIDAN!" Illidan nodded as Noa smiled as he finally disappeared.

Once he was gone, the roulette began again. Slowly, it circled the field till it stopped right on Duke.

Serenity cried out "Oh no, not Duke!"

Duke then began to disappear, letting out a small scream of pain as he slowly faded away. He then called down to Illidan and said "You can win Illidan! I know you can."

Illidan nodded and said "I will, and I will get you back. I give my word."

Duke nodded and then said to Serenity, who had tears in her eyes "Don't cry Serenity. I'll be back before you know it with Illidan on the job. Goodbye till then."

Finally, he faded into the Shadow Realm, making Serenity sob even more. Illidan then turned his attention to a smiling Gozaburo. "Forget about my attack? Now Tyrant Dragon destroys your pathetic Gravekeeper's Spy!" called out Illidan. The fire stream then struck the monster, instantly incinerating it.

Gozaburo only shrugged. "I didn't need her. Besides, she served her purpose."

Illidan only said "You're going to pay for what you did to Noa and Duke! Now my Deck Master's special ability kicks in, allowing Tyrant Dragon to attack again. Tyrant Dragon, attack Gravekeeper's Curse with Tyrant Flame!" Yet another stream of fire poured out of the orange dragon's mouth, instantly vaporizing the weaker black robed man.

"That's not all Gozaburo. Now Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, attack Exodia Necross with Flash Flare Blast! This one is for Noa!" screamed Illidan. The metal dragon then took aim and fired a powerful beam out of it's mouth.

As the blast neared, Illidan said "By the way, Metalmorph now grants my dragon half of your Exodia Necross's attack points when he attacks (2700 + 1150 3850/2300)!" The beam grew stronger in color as it neared.

Finally, it struck the large black monster, making it cry out in pain as Gozaburo went to his knees. Marie screamed out in pain as part of her body disappeared again, but she tried to stay strong. She knew how hard it was for Illidan to do this, so she would do all she could to stay strong for him.

After the smoke cleared, Illidan then said "I end my turn." (Gozaburo 2050, Illidan 5700)

Gozaburo then drew and smiled evilly. "My Exodia Necross now gains 500 additional attack points (2800/0) thanks to my Standby Phase." The large black monster then glowed with a black like light as it's strength increased.

"Now I'll place one monster in defense mode. Exodia Necross, attack his pathetic Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon with Obliteration Punch!" The large black monster let out a roar and lurched forward.

It prepared to strike the large metal dragon when Illidan smiled. "I don't think so Gozaburo! I reveal my trap card known as Draining Shield! This trap allows me to negate your attack, then add the attack points of your monster to my life points!" Suddenly a huge shield appeared in front of the metal dragon. The large black monster struck the shield, causing the shield to absorb all the damage. Once it did that, it began to glow. Then the glow flew over to Illidan, increasing his points.

"Since I just increased my life points by 2800, I now have 8400 life points! That means all the people you just sent to the Shadow Realm now return!" With that, Keith, Odion, Mokuba, Tristan, Noa, and Duke all returned to their positions on the wall where they had been hanging. Each gasped for air, as they finally realized they were back in the game.

"Way to go Illidan!" called out Yugi.

Tears were misting in Marik's eyes as he said "Thank you Illidan."

Illidan nodded and said "I won't let my friends down. I promise that I will keep you all safe!"

Gozaburo only chuckled, saying "That's a promise you'll soon break Illidan. Now I place one card face down. That ends my move." (Gozaburo 2050, Illidan 8500)

Illidan then drew his card. He stared at his Precious Cards from Beyond magic card. "_Good card, bad time to draw it though._" "I place two cards face down…"

Gozaburo then interjected, saying "I activate the face down card Light of Intervention! This trap card now flips all face down monsters face up. And the monster I set was Morphing Jar (700/600)!" A jar then appeared on the field. Inside of it was a creature with one eye, and then it popped out of the jar, making an odd noise.

"Being flipped up instantly activates his special effect. Now we must discard our hand and draw 5 new cards each. Since you have none, it was no problem, but I must discard Gravekeeper's Watcher. Now draw your five cards Illidan!"

Illidan drew quickly, receiving Dark Magician of Chaos, Graceful Charity, Luster Dragon, The Creator, and most surprisingly, Slifer the Sky Dragon. Illidan eyed it, knowing that Slifer could help him win this duel. "It's still my move Gozaburo, so I next play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw 3 new cards, as long as I discard 2 from my hand."

Illidan drew his Change of Heart, Harpie's Feather Duster, and Magic Cylinder. Smiling, Illidan knew then that he had a shot to finish things off here and now. "Now I discard my Dark Magician of Chaos and Luster Dragon…"

Gozaburo lightly chuckled and said "Thanks to you playing a magic card, I gained 500 life points due to my Spell Absorption! Thank you Illidan, muwhahaha!" Slowly, a small piece of Marie's body returned thanks to the point boost.

Illidan slightly growled and said "Next I play the magic card Harpie's Feather Duster, which instantly destroys every magic and trap card on your field!" A huge feather then appeared and blew a gust of wind at Gozaburo's field. Every magic and trap card then instantly blew away. Suddenly the valley image was destroyed thanks to the gust.

Gozaburo only shrugged, saying "I didn't need those cards anyways. Hurry up and finish."

Illidan only smirked. "Careful what you ask for. Now I reveal my face down card, Precious Cards from Beyond! This card activates whenever I make two or more sacrifices. It allows me to draw 2 more cards after the successful summoning. Next I play Change of Heart, allowing me to take control of one of your monsters. And I choose your Exodia Necross!"

Gozaburo stood there in shock as his powerful monster switched sides. All he could do was watch in horror as his monster stared at him.

Illidan let out a small chuckle, saying "Now to put into the motion your end. I now sacrifice Tyrant Dragon, Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, and Exodia Necross to summon the Egyptian God, Slifer the Sky Dragon (2000/2000)!"

Suddenly the Shadow Realm seemed to grow darker as all three monsters disappeared in a flash of light. Then the large red dragon appeared, encircling it's body around the tower itself. It's powerful head then appeared, letting off a mighty roar from it's one set of jaws. Slifer then stared down at Gozaburo. The two had met in ancient times during the rampage of the three Egyptian Gods, and it seemed the two would now get reacquainted.


	133. Chapter 133: End Game, Pt 4

**Hello everyone. Glad everyone enjoyed this last chapter. Again, thank you all for helping me get over 500 reviews. I guess my other victory is that I have over 130 chapters as well. Don't worry, I didn't break many more marks, lol. When I started, I thought it would only last 50 chapters. Once I dove in though, I realized it was more of a 75-100 chapter story. About chapter 100, I began to wonder if it would ever end, hehe. It did though, and I think that the ending duel turned out good. Looking back over my writing though, I wish now I had reread it and done corrections like I had with the other three files (a total of 105 chapters, with 35 in each file). Oh well, no use to worry about it now. At any rate, let's get down to doing the reviews.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Raises an eyebrow. Ok, that made some sense… but not really, lol. I don't completely understand. Anyways, thanks for the congrats.**

**Ryon Nakura: Sniffle You don't miss the crazy half demon? Oh well, just enjoy your time with Marik. At least you're not alone anymore. Now you have a fun playmate to keep you company, hehe.**

**Berry Kisses: It could be just that strong. Yep, it just could be. Yeah, he's deep. Like subterranean deep, lol.**

**Fire Princess: Probably to find Ryon. That or find someplace to hide away from everyone.**

**Strawberry Cake: Laughs at Ryou as he runs away. Keep running Ryou. Maybe she won't catch you. Maybe…**

**Brianna Ishtar: Lol, me either. And yeah Ryou, it is a quite a show. I bought tickets for when Marik manages to skin Ryon alive. Better hurry and get yours before they sell out.**

**sweetxokissesxo: Uh… It'll come sooner or later. Looks at book. Interesting… Shreds book with claws. Oops…**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yeah, it is a tough duel. Marie sure was giving it to Illidan in the heart, even though it wasn't truly her. Yes, he's far worse than you Ryou. Ryou smiles great big. Just kidding. Ryou does an anime fall over.**

**x-knight20: Yeah, they're back, for now. How long though, who knows… other than me, lol.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: I know the feeling. It's kind of freaky to hear that kind of stuff come from her, of all people. Hmm, maybe Hue Hefner uses a Millennium Item to keep all those women around… That's something worthy of investigating. Gets smacked in the back of the head by Cindy. I mean, never mind… But yeah, it's a different deck. I tried to help improve his old Exodia Necross deck by using the Gravekeeper's. That way, it's major weakness couldn't be exploited again, like how Seto did. Yeah, the trick is to balance your life points. Go below 8100 points, and you lose people. Stay above, then you're safe. Same principle applies with Marie as well.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks. He could have possibly, but with Gozaburo's Deck Master, who knows what would happen. Plus, I thought that the duel should be dragged out a bit. I had to consider all possibilities when writing it, but I let it drag out longer.**

**Well, I'm done now. Thanks everyone for your comments. Btw, I should let you all know, I'll be busy this weekend, so I won't be able to post on Saturday or Sunday, but I will post again on Monday. Next week, things will continue on till the final day, where the last chapter shall be posted. Till then, enjoy. Later.**

**Chapter 133**

Gozaburo only let out a laugh at Illidan. "So, you've finally decided to bring an Egyptian God into this fight. I wondered how long it would take you to do it. That was the whole plan of using Morphing Jar though. I hoped you'd draw one, and try to use it. Of course, your card is weak due that you only hold two cards in your hand. What a pathetic attempt to summon an Egyptian God Card, muwhahaha!"

Illidan only chuckled and said "Don't forget my Precious Cards from Beyond. It allows me to now draw two new cards since I sacrificed a monster for three tributes. Now I draw, thus granting more power to Slifer the Sky Dragon (4000/4000)!" Illidan then picked up his two new cards and smiled. In the background, Slifer roared louder as his power increased due to the new cards Illidan held.

One of the cards Illidan had drawn was real important though. His The Creator Incarnate meant he could get it out next turn in order to summon The Creator in two turns, thus giving Illidan a major edge. The other card he drew was his Monster Reborn.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack Gozaburo's Morphing Jar with Thunder Force!" commanded Illidan. Slifer roared and opened his powerful jaws. A huge ball of energy then formed. Finally, the large dragon released the blast, striking the jar monster with an incredible force. Easily, the jar was no match and screamed as it was destroyed.

Gozaburo held his one arm up to keep the wind from the powerful blast from striking his eyes. He only growled as his monster was torn to shreds.

"It's not over yet though Gozaburo! My Deck Master now allows Slifer to attack again. So Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack his Wicked Token with Thunder Force!" The mighty Egyptian God roared and created yet another powerful sphere of energy in it's mouth. At last, it spat the blast at the serpent like creature, which only could screech as it was blown away. Again, Gozaburo shielded his face from the smoke and wind.

Illidan smirked and then said "I place one card face down and end my move (3000/3000)." (Gozaburo 2550, Illidan 8500) Slifer roared as his points went down by 1000, signifying he was weakening.

Gozaburo smirked and drew, and his eyes went wide, as an evil grin came across his face. "It's time I show you why I'm so confident that I'll win Illidan. You see, your three Egyptian God Cards are nothing compared to the card I'm about to play. This card will be the monster that destroys you once and for all, muwhahaha!"

Gozaburo then began an evil laughter, like it was an uncontrollable fit.

Illidan only laughed and pointed a finger at Gozaburo, saying "You've gone mad. Nothing is stronger than the three Egyptian God Cards and you know that."

Gozaburo stopped laughing and grinned evilly at Illidan, and said "Yes, there is something Illidan. Something that hasn't been seen for over 6 millennia! This card is a card so powerful that your own pitiful Egyptian God Cards will tremble at it's power. This power is much stronger than those three, muwhahaha!"

Illidan only stood there, trying to think of anything he could remember that was supposedly stronger than the three Egyptian God Cards. "_Hmm, I don't remember any monsters in ancient times that were stronger. And from what I remember of ancient texts at that time, there was nothing before the three Gods that was stronger, so what is Gozaburo babbling about?_"

Gozaburo then grinned evilly and said "Illidan, your time has come. Now I summon the most powerful monster in this world. I summon the fourth Egyptian God…"

On the wall, everyone but Shadi said "FOURTH EGYPTIAN GOD?"

Illidan himself said the same thing, pondering if there was a fourth. He had never seen, nor heard of a fourth Egyptian God Card.

Gozaburo then slapped a card on his Duel Disk, and lightening seemed to form on his Duel Disk where the card was played. "… Anubis, The God of Life and Death (2000/2000)!" screamed Gozaburo.

Suddenly, the Shadow Realm seemed to grow much darker. Then in a flash of white light, a sarcophagus appeared on the field. It had the image of an Egyptian version of the God of the Dead. Then the sarcophagus opened, and there came out the mighty Egyptian God, Anubis, The God of Life and Death. He was a large monster, but not as huge as Slifer, Obelisk, or Ra. In comparison, he was a smaller monster than them. He had the head of a black coyote, with ears and a snout. His body was firm and he had semi large arms. Unlike Obelisk, who had huge arms, Anubis's arms appeared to match his body. For the most part, Anubis looked like a man with a coyote head attached. He glowed with a white aura that seemed incredibly strong.

Slifer the Sky Dragon even seemed to tremble with fear at the sight of this monster.

Gozaburo only laughed and laughed as his mighty Egyptian God was put on display. Finally, he stopped and said "Tremble in fear Illidan, for this Egyptian God is far more powerful than the other three combined!"

Illidan only smirked and said "Obviously by his attack points, he's not as strong as you say. Also, how is it possible for you to summon him without three sacrifices?"

Gozaburo only laughed and said "That's one of Anubis's special effects. I could have sacrificed three monsters to summon him, but he also is allowed to be summoned as a level 4 monster."

Illidan only slightly growled, but then smiled and said "You do realize what you've done though? You've triggered Slifer the Sky Dragon's special ability when you summoned Anubis! Slifer, use your second mouth and blast Anubis with it!"

Slifer seemed to get over his trembling and opened up his second mouth. Then the mighty dragon spat a blast from it. The energy ball struck Anubis, which didn't make a movement, or a sound. Then Anubis was easily blown into pieces.

Illidan only chuckled, saying "So much for that fake Egyptian God."

Gozaburo only laughed, and said "You haven't seen the end of my Egyptian God Card yet Illidan. Now I place two cards face down, and end my turn." (Gozaburo 2550, Illidan 8500)

Illidan only chuckled. "So, that's it then. Well, watch this!" He then drew and looked at his D.D. Warrior Lady. Slifer then roared as his attack points increased yet again (4000/4000).

Then Illidan prepared to make his move when suddenly Gozaburo's Graveyard glowed with an awesome brightness. Suddenly, the fourth Egyptian God Card shot out of Gozaburo's Graveyard and onto his Duel Disk. Then the almighty fourth Egyptian God, Anubis, returned to the field in defense mode. He was simply on one knee with his arms crossed. Slifer trembled with fear yet again.

Illidan as well was shocked. "How did your so called Egyptian God get back to the field? I didn't see you play any magic or trap cards." asked Illidan.

Gozaburo only manically laughed and then said "That's cause I didn't play any. You see, Anubis's special effect allowed him to return. Once summoned to the field, this Egyptian God will always return. Even if he's destroyed, the next turn he'll return! That is what makes him so much stronger than the other three. Your pitiful Slifer the Sky Dragon is no match for this Egyptian God Card!"

Illidan only chuckled and said "You forget though, Slifer's special ability will once again wipe your monster out! Now Slifer the Sky Dragon, destroy his Anubis with your second mouth!" Slifer once again opened his second set of jaws and fired another burst of energy at the powerful God of Life and Death.

But then, Gozaburo quickly said as the blast neared "I activate my trap card, Rite of Spirit! Now I can bring back one Gravekeeper, and I choose my Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/2000) in defense mode!"

Illidan then watched as the woman in black robes appeared in a crouching position. He only chuckled and said "You've triggered Slifer's second mouth yet again. Blast his pathetic Gravekeeper's Spy Slifer!" Slifer then fired yet another blast from his second set of jaws.

As the second blast quickly overtook the first, Gozaburo grinned evilly. "I activate one of Anubis's special effect. Now I can sacrifice Gravekeeper's Spy to increase Anubis's attack and defense points by Gravekeeper's Spy's attack and defense points (2000 + 1200 3700/2000 + 2000 4000)!"

Illidan and everyone else gasped as the woman in robes disappeared and Anubis got stronger. The second blast then dissipated, while the original struck Anubis. Anubis then lost 2000 of his attack points from Slifer's special ability (3200/2000).

Slightly growling, Illidan finally stopped and smirked, then said "Looks like your so called Egyptian God is weaker now. He's easy prey for my Slifer the Sky Dragon. Now, just so I know, what makes you think this card is an Egyptian God? There were only three when we walked the Earth 5000 years ago in Egypt. So, explain why you think this one is an Egyptian God."

Gozaburo only chuckled and said "There is an easy reason. You see, this Egyptian God was the original Egyptian God of Egypt. About six millennia ago, Anubis became uncontrollable. Only the pharaoh, one of Yami's long lost relatives I understand, was capable of controlling him. But even the pharaoh feared Anubis, especially after Anubis killed his own son. Fearful for his family and subjects, the pharaoh decided to rid the world of Anubis. But there was no way to do it out right. Anubis was far too powerful for that, so he had another idea on how to get rid of Anubis. The second idea was if he couldn't destroy Anubis out right, he would split the powerful Egyptian God into three separate monsters. So, with all his followers one day, he brought Anubis forth. Then with all their power, they split the powerful Egyptian God into three. You can only guess what three were formed by this splitting. Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra were born from this splitting of Anubis. Each received a portion of Anubis's power. Of course, none of them compare to Anubis's true power. He is far superior to each of them. Even combined, the three of them don't stand a chance against this Egyptian God! But it gets much better. Why you haven't heard about this monster is due to one reason. That pharaoh feared Anubis so much that he had him stricken from all records. All records of Anubis existing as a Shadow Creature were destroyed. Only one record was left about Anubis, and that was hidden deeply in the archives, never meant to be seen again. It was the pharaoh's fear that Anubis would be revived and destroy Egypt for what was done to him. Of course, as you know, the three Egyptian Gods that were created were not too much better. Those three eventually became too destructive for us to handle in ancient times, so in fear, we destroyed them. But that's not the ironic part. The ironic part is all three were revived by that bumbling idiot Maximillion Pegasus. But that wasn't the best part. The icing on the cake was that idiot recreated Anubis as well!"

Illidan looked in shock as Gozaburo made that statement. "_Did Pegasus find out about Anubis and do the same for him?_"

Gozaburo chuckled and then said "Wonder why he did it? Well, it's simple. He had just found out first about the three Egyptian Gods. Now I'll show you what happened!"

Suddenly, the Millennium Crown glowed, and a vision came to them all. There in a room was a man with silver hair. He wore a maroon suit, and his hair covered one eye. His hair then slightly moved to reveal his Millennium Eye. He was staring at some research that he had. Suddenly it hit Illidan and a few others that didn't know him, that this was Maximillion Pegasus. He then started reading some ancient texts, trying to research all he could on Duel Monsters. His search right now was on the three Egyptian Gods.

"This can't be! According to this research, the three Egyptian Gods have only been around six millennia! They should have been around much longer than that. What happened I wonder? Why did they just suddenly come into existence? I must find out."

Then the vision flashed to a scene in Egypt. There, they saw Pegasus reading an ancient scroll in what looked like a very ancient tome. He was wearing a grayish safari outfit, with a matching safari hat. He carefully handled the scrolls, making sure not to destroy them.

Finally he yelled out "Now I get it! According to these ancient scrolls, about six millennia ago, a powerful pharaoh and his court created the three Egyptian Gods from one. The one was called Anubis, and he had powers far beyond that of Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra. It is good that I found this out, for now I have texts and images to create the ultimate Egyptian God!"

Then Pegasus ordered his men in. Carefully, everything on Anubis that was in the tomb was collected and taken back to America with Pegasus.

The vision then flashed to Pegasus's home. Once there, Pegasus started work on the fourth Egyptian God Card. He wouldn't be happy till his work was finished, and he had voluntarily decided to do the work on this card alone. He had others doing work on the other three Egyptian Gods, but he would do this one himself. Slowly, he worked on the powerful Egyptian God. Finally, he had a card created, one that would strike fear into the heart of any that saw it played. After he finished, he then took hold of the card and stared at it.

"With this card, I'll be invincible! Soon I shall revive Ce…"

He was stopped in mid-sentence by the sudden aura that appeared around the card. Glancing at the card, he saw a white aura starting to appear. The card then pulsated, as if it was alive. It's power was much greater than anything Pegasus had ever seen. Suddenly, the aura flared out, knocking the card out of his hand.

Frightened, Pegasus then flared his own power up with the Millennium Eye. With it's power, he began to try and force the God Card to power down, but the card fought back and knocked Pegasus back about 5 feet. Suddenly Pegasus saw an image of Anubis. The ancient Egyptian God lunged at him, making Pegasus scream out in terror. Anubis then grabbed him by the shirt collar and held him up. Pegasus grabbed for the God's arm, trying to break the grip, but it was useless. Anubis had him nearly paralyzed with fear.

In a raspy, ancient voice, Anubis said "Thank you for my freedom. I was destroyed about six millennia ago by the pharaoh, just due that he feared me. Now I shall strike true fear into this world, and I shall prove why I am the only true Egyptian God. Those other three maybe my descendants, but they are nothing but weaker versions of me. Now, prepare for your death!"

Anubis then pulled back his free hand in a fist and prepared to punch Pegasus. In total fear, Pegasus poured out his power in his Millennium Eye. He screamed in total terror, but didn't dare stop pouring out his power. Anubis cried out in pain as the Shadow Powers of Pegasus started bashing him. Anubis had no choice but to release Pegasus from his grasp, but only laughed at this attempt.

"You think you have enough power to stop me! Think again!" he said in a defiant voice.

Pegasus then released all the power he had within his Millennium Eye, forcing Anubis to disappear. Gasping for breath, Pegasus slowly crawled over to the fourth Egyptian God Card, and stared at it. He stared at the card, finally realizing what he had done.

"I've revived the Egyptian God of Life and Death! He's far too powerful for even my Millennium Eye to handle. I must destroy this card, immediately!"

He then picked up the card and flung it into the fireplace he had in the room. Then he quickly turned a knob that turned on the fireplace. The fire began to scorch the fireplace, making Pegasus let out a small relieved sigh. Then he looked into the fireplace to only see in horror that the card wasn't burning. It was just sitting there, with the evil white aura still surrounding it. He then turned off the fireplace and realized he had to take it to the one person who might be able to help him.

Slowly, he let the card cool, and let his assistants know he was heading out on a quick trip. He then loaded the fourth Egyptian God Card into his briefcase and quickly gathered some clothes. After this, he called for a driver to take him to his private airport. Once there, he instructed the pilot to take him to Egypt, where his other private airport was.


	134. Chapter 134: End Game, Pt 5

**Hey everyone. Thanks for all the comments, and I'm glad that this chapter shocked a lot of people. Indeed, Anubis, the God of Life and Death, was the big surprise monster I had held for Gozaburo. The story behind it will be explained on through this chapter, so I hope you all will enjoy it. Anyways, I'm glad the idea went over well. What all this Egyptian God Card can do is still a mystery, but I'm sure it will all be revealed soon. Till then, it's time to write out the reviews.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: I know, and I'm sorry, but the story has to continue on. Hopefully you'll have a good vacation and when you get back, you'll get to finish up reading this story. As for the sequel, I'm unsure at the moment when I'll start posting it. It won't be long though. Have a good vacation though.**

**x-knight20: Could have, or he went to that one hot dog shop there. You know, the one that serves white whine spritzers with your hot dog, lol.**

**Isis the Sphinx: The Egyptian Gods are somewhat scared of Anubis for other reasons. Possibly due that they know his true power, and that alone, they're nothing compared to him. But maybe together…**

**Ryon Nakura: Shame on you Ryou for scaring Ryon like that. Secretly hands him a twenty and whispers "Good job." Sniffs air and looks at Ryon. Eww! Why the hell did you wet yourself?**

**Berry Kisses: It's hard to tell, lol. Of course, if you're referring to a comment I made, who knows, hehe.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yes, there is a fourth one, at least in my story, lol. Indeed, the card is immortal. So far, it has no weaknesses, but that's so far. Maybe, just maybe, the further we get, the more weaknesses will show up. Or maybe Illidan will learn that it has no weaknesses. Who knows, well, other than me or Pegasus or Gozaburo, lol. Btw, thanks for the pm, and I thought about doing something like that, but unfortunately, when Anubis is destroyed, the card would go too. Unless the card returned, it would be good for one shot. Sorry about not reviewing yet. I've been meaning to get to that, but life happens. I usually get inside at 9 at night thanks to having to help watch our horses, then I get my shower and talk with Cindy, then go to bed. In the morning, I only have an hour to get ready and also write my reviews. Lol, basically, it's hard to squeeze in reading time. But I'll get to it this weekend, seeing how I'll be home alone, at long last, meaning nothing to do! Anyways, I'll get to it, so don't get discouraged.**

**Fire Princess: Actually, I brought him back. Never again though will I carry him on my back. He's too heavy!**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Thanks. I thought maybe creating another card would help solidify why Gozaburo was so confident, and wanting Illidan to control all three Egyptian God Cards.**

**Strawberry Cake: I'm shocked at you accusing me Ryou. I'd never pull the plug on an old lady. Even if the nurse told me I could… Smiles to reveal fangs. Nope, I'm innocent.**

**Brianna Ishtar: I'll put two hundred on Marik. Too bad for you Brianna, you're betting for the one who won't win, lol.**

**sweetxokissesxo: Oh really Ryou? Well, too bad! I felt like shredding something, so I shredded that book. Besides, all it had was words in it. Just write them down again. That way I can shred a new one sooner or later. Watches Ryon take creampuff and smash it on Ryou's face. Ah, I was going to do that. You take all my fun Ryon.**

**pink-kiss-candy: I didn't. I bet I know who did. Glares at… Brianna! Wait, that makes no sense. Tries again and glares at… a pine stump. That damn pine stump did it! I know it did! Sees everyone sweet drop at the comment.**

**Hope you all enjoy this next chapter. The epic battle of Illidan and Gozaburo continues on, with Illidan holding all three Egyptian God Cards and Gozaburo holding the fourth one. Can three conquer the one, or will one obliterate three? Feels like the guy at the end of DBZ. Tune in next time to find out the results of the next thrilling chapter of _Tournament of Power!_ And if you don't, I'll slash you with my claws!**

**Lol, but seriously, I do hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'll be back Monday morning once more, so till then, later you all.**

**Chapter 134**

Pegasus's private jet soon enough touched down in Egypt. He had called ahead to have a driver ready to take him to his destination. The driver then took him to a market place, where Pegasus got out and quickly took his briefcase with him. Slowly, he waded through the people in the market to a specific set of stairs. This is where he had met Shadi only a few months or better. He entered a door and quickly called for Shadi.

Shadi soon enough appeared before him, saying "Why Mr. Pegasus, I never expected to see you so soon again. How are you my friend?"

Pegasus quickly said in a voice of fear "I have no time for pleasantries. I need your help."

Shadi then got serious and said "What is wrong…"

Suddenly he stopped in mid-sentence when he sensed a powerful aura coming from Pegasus's briefcase. He stared at the briefcase, trying to figure out what he was feeling. He then said to Pegasus in a calm voice "You recreated an Egyptian God I see. Which is it?"

Pegasus was slightly shaking and said "I recreated Anubis… He's far more powerful than the others."

Shadi only looked curiously at Pegasus, and asked "Anubis? I've never heard of that Egyptian Monster."

Pegasus then quickly explained, leaving no details out on what happened and what he had learned. Shadi then was in great fear as well when he heard the whole story.

Pegasus then said "We must find some place to put this card! It's too powerful for me to keep guard over! I can't even control it! There must be someplace to put it!"

Shadi thought for a moment, and then something registered from memories of old. Sighing, he then said "There is one place. Come, I will take you there. Bring that accursed card with you."

Slowly, they made their way to the ancient tomb where Pegasus had gotten his Millennium Eye. There, Shadi took him to the back of the tomb. Once there, he pressed a piece of the wall in. A door then slid open, revealing a rather dark and evil feeling room. Pegasus shuddered at the power he felt from the room. He prepared to enter, but Shadi stopped him.

"No, don't go in. Just throw that card in there. The evil in there is far too strong for you to withstand. Just throw the card towards the middle of the room." instructed Shadi.

Pegasus then opened up his briefcase and grabbed the fourth Egyptian God Card. Quickly, Pegasus picked it up and threw it into the room towards the middle. The evil white aura showed from the card as it was tossed in, and even after it landed both could see the evil aura. Shadi then hit the switch again and the door closed. Both then breathed a sigh of relief.

Pegasus then slowly backed up, and said "Well, that is it I guess. We're done."

Shadi slowly nodded, saying "I would advise you to be careful Pegasus. The other three Egyptian God's aren't as strong as that one was, but I wouldn't revive them if I was you. Do as you like, but I would advise you not to even try to finish them."

Pegasus only smirked and said "The others I won't make the same mistake with. I'll be in full control of them. Now, I'm off to finish the three. Thank you again Shadi."

Then Pegasus headed towards the door to leave the tomb. Shadi only shook his head at the ignorance of Pegasus, but then continued on with his scroll writing.

Then the vision moved forward to another time in the tomb. Shadi was there writing on a scroll again, when suddenly the tomb rocked with an explosion. Shadi was slightly buried in the rubble of the explosion. Slowly, he got out of the rubble to only hear someone laughing in the back tomb. Quickly, Shadi ran towards the door that hid the back room. He peaked through a peep hole to only see inside a man holding the Millennium Crown and the fourth Egyptian God Card. Shadi then hit the panel on the wall to open up the door, but the door wouldn't open. Kicking on the door, Shadi attempted to get in.

He then screamed at the man "PLEASE, LEAVE THAT CROWN AND THE CARD BEHIND! THEY'RE FAR TOO POWERFUL FOR A NORMAL PERSON!" He only heard a chorus of laughter, one which he slightly remembered. Finally, Shadi then took his Millennium Key and stretched it out at the door. Pouring power into it, he blew the walled door away.

Quickly, he ran in to find the man in a business suit leaving on a ladder. One thing though registered in his mind. The face he saw. It was the face of the man he had known as Gozaburo Tark. How it could be, he wasn't sure. Quickly, he then raised his Millennium Key up at the man and fired a blast of Shadow Magic at him. The Millennium Crown instantly blocked the blast and knocked Shadi into the wall. Gozaburo only laughed as he finally climbed out and got into a nearby helicopter. Shadi laid there in pain, feeling blood running down his forehead.

The vision then ended, as Gozaburo laughed manically. "Understand everything now Illidan?" he asked mockingly.

Illidan only stood there in shock. "_The fourth Egyptian God Card and the Millennium Crown together have made Gozaburo nearly invincible. How can I defeat both of them?_"

Marie saw that Illidan was in shock, and cried out "Illidan, you defeated him once, and you can do it again. Don't let him frighten you!"

Illidan seemed to come out of his shock and nodded. Staring at the fourth Egyptian God Card across the field, he then began to think of ways to get rid of it again. "_If I can remove it from play, it may stay gone. I just have to find a way to get a monster out that can do it._" Glancing at his hand, he realized he did have two ways to do it. He could either use his D.D. Warrior Lady and hope that Gozaburo attacked it, or he could summon a monster and use Dark Renewal in order to bring back Dark Magician of Chaos, which had the ability to remove a monster from play when attacking. Either way, Illidan had to do something.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack Anubis the God of Life and Death with your Thunder Force!" commanded Illidan. Gozaburo smiled evilly as Slifer opened it's large mouth to create a ball of tremendous energy. Finally, Slifer let loose his powerful blast which easily struck the Egyptian God of Life and Death. The monster seemed to not even flinch as he was blown away by the awesome power of Slifer.

Illidan then said "Now I activate my Deck Master's special ability. Slifer the Sky Dragon, direct attack Gozaburo's life points and end this duel with your Thunder…"

Gozaburo then yelled "Not so fast Illidan! I activate the trap card known as Physical Double! This trap card allows me to special summon a monster known as Mirage Token. This token allows me to copy one monster on your side of the field, and keep it on my side of the field. Guess which monster I want!"

Illidan gasped as a copy of Slifer then appeared on the field. The copy was rather ugly looking. It was green rather than red like the almighty Egyptian God. It was obvious how big a fake it was, but still, a fake with power, for it had the same stats as the original Slifer (4000/4000). Illidan slightly growled and looked at his field.

He then had an idea. Chuckling, he then said "Alright Gozaburo. Now I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my weaker Sinister Serpent (300/250) in defense mode." The small serpent like creature then reappeared on the field, flicking it's tongue in and out at Gozaburo. Slifer then roared as his power slightly left him (3000/3000).

Illidan then smiled and said "Next I activate my trap card, Dark Renewal! This trap allows me to sacrifice one monster on my side of the field, as well as one of yours. So, now I sacrifice my Sinister Serpent along with your Mirage Token!" A cross shaped coffin then appeared on the field. It opened and sucked in both the small serpent and Gozaburo's fake Egyptian God Token. Once they were inside, the coffin then began to glow.

"Now for the second part of this trap's effect. Once I made a double sacrifice, I'm allowed to special summon one spellcaster type monster from my Graveyard. So, I choose my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)!" The coffin then opened to reveal the powerful mage inside with his eyes closed. Once the doors opened fully, he then opened his eyes as his magical aura flared to life. He jumped out and took a fighting stance on the field.

"The best part about bringing this monster back is I can now return one magic card from my Graveyard. Now, I return my Monster Reborn to my hand." Illidan said. As he placed his card back in his hand, Slifer roared once again as his power increased once again (4000/4000).

Illidan then decided to make one last move. Calmly, he said "Finally, I'll place my The Creator Incarnate (1600/1500) in defense mode." The golden armored warrior then appeared in a one knee position with his arms crossed. Slifer then let out a roar as it slowly lost it's attack points (3000/3000).

"That shall end my move." (Gozaburo 2550, Illidan 8500)

Gozaburo only chuckled and then drew. Suddenly his Graveyard glowed again, and the fourth Egyptian God Card shot back out of it. Laughing, Gozaburo then said "Now return to me my powerful Anubis, The God of Life and Death (2000/2000)!" Anubis then returned to the field in attack mode. He then glared at Slifer, which trembled with great fear.

Illidan only chuckled. "You've done it again Gozaburo. Slifer, blast Anubis with your second mouth!" Slifer once again quite trembling and opened it's second mouth. Then a blast of energy poured from it, heading straight at Anubis.

Gozaburo smirked and then said "Before your attack hits, I'll now activate the magic card from my hand known as Card Guard! This card allows me to discard one card from my hand in order to defend my monster. So, I discard my Skull-Mark Ladybug to the Graveyard for Card Guard!" A huge shield with a card on it then appeared. The blast struck the shield, but as the blast subsided, it became apparent that Slifer's blast had failed to get through.

Gozaburo then laughed and said "See Illidan, I know better than take a chance against you. Also, since I sent my Skull-Mark Ladybug to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 life points." Slowly, Marie's body then began to be rebuilt by the burst of life points. "Now I use my Deck Master's special ability. At a cost of 1000 life points, I can special summon one monster with 1500 or less defense points from my Deck to my field. So, I choose my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (1500/1000) in attack mode!" A man in a black robe and a spear then appeared on the field. With his summoning, Marie screamed in pain as the part of her body that had just been returned slowly faded away.

Illidan growled at Gozaburo for doing that to her, and then yelled "That was foolish, because now Slifer can blast your monster. Slifer, use your second mouth now!" Slifer then roared and fired a blast at the robed man.

Gozaburo grinned evilly and then said "I don't think so! I activate Anubis's special effect. Now Anubis, I sacrifice my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier to absorb his points as yours (3500/3000)!" The robed man disappeared and Anubis started to glow with power. Slifer's blast then flew off into the Shadow Realm and made a small explosion.

Gozaburo only chuckled as Illidan slightly growled in frustration as Slifer had missed. Gozaburo only grinned at Illidan and said "Don't look so distraught Illidan. You'll soon loose your friends. Now, I end my move." (Gozaburo 2550, Illidan 8500)

Illidan looked at Gozaburo with a puzzled look. "_Odd he'd do that. Why didn't he attack my Dark Magician of Chaos, or even Slifer. Heck, he could have even attacked my The Creator Incarnate. It's hard to tell though why he didn't attack._" Illidan then drew his card. Looking at it, he smiled at his Mirror Force. Slifer then roared as his strength once again increased (4000/4000).

"In my Standby Phase, my Sinister Serpent's special effect is triggered. Now I can return him to my hand, thus raising Slifer's points even more (5000/5000)!" Slifer roared even louder as his strength once again increased. "Now I sacrifice my The Creator Incarnate for The Creator (2300/3000) in defense mode! Thanks to The Creator Incarnate's special effect, I can summon The Creator without a double sacrifice." The golden armored warrior then disappeared and the powerful golden monster with a huge ring that had wings attached to it's back appeared in it's place. Slifer then let out a lower roar as his power decreased once again (4000/4000).

Gozaburo then burst out into a maniacal laughter and said "You've triggered Anubis's special effect! Now, like Slifer, he shall automatically attack a monster you summon or special summon with a blast that drains away 2000 of their attack or defense points, pending on the mode the monster is in. Anubis, use your Life Drain!" Illidan was shocked as Anubis's eyes then glowed with power. He then pulled his right arm back and then punched it forward, opening his palm as he did so. A blast of pure energy then was fired across the field. The blast quickly struck the powerful golden monster, causing it to scream in pain as it's points decreased (2300/1000). Once the blast subsided, the golden monster still appeared on the field, but part of his wings had been blasted off by Anubis. Also, there were some scratches and scars now visible on the monster. It was considerably weaker thanks to the attack by Anubis.

Illidan slightly growled and looked at the field. Now he had something to really worry about with Anubis. "_Already Anubis has displayed that he has powers from both Slifer and Ra. I just wonder how truly powerful this Egyptian God Card is._" Looking at his hand, he decided he'd better get rid of Anubis while he could still.

Calling out his commands, Illidan said "Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack Anubis now with your Thunder Force!" Slifer then roared as he opened his huge mouth. The powerful sphere of energy began to form in the dragon's mouth. Finally, Slifer spat the blast at Anubis.

As the blast neared, Gozaburo only began to chuckle. Finally, he said "I activate one of Anubis's special effects! Now I transfer 550 life points to him in order to raise his attack and defense points (4050/3550)!"

Illidan was shocked at this statement. Anubis then glowed with power as his points then rose. Marie only could scream in pain as yet more of her body disappeared. "_Yet another special ability from Ra! This isn't good._"

Gozaburo then let loose a maniacal laugh and said "Anubis, counter attack with your Judgment of Death attack on Slifer the Sky Dragon!" Anubis then put both arms together and put his palms facing Slifer. Then he smiled evilly and pushed energy into his palms. Two white spheres formed on his palms, and then they merged into one white blast. Then the single blast was fired directly at Slifer's Thunder Force. The blast tore through the Thunder Force, causing it to shower the field. Then the powerful blast continued on, striking Slifer in the head. Slifer howled in pain as the blast caused a huge explosion.

Illidan was shocked to see his Egyptian God struck. "NOO!" he cried out as Slifer fell to the field and then exploded into millions of pieces. The explosion caused a rather large wind to form on the field. Illidan covered his face as the wind finally calmed down. On the other side of the field, Gozaburo stood there laughing. Illidan could only growl in frustration over the loss of his Egyptian God Card.

On the wall, everyone gasped at Slifer's destruction. Seto soon said "Impossible! That Egyptian God is far stronger than Illidan's monsters will ever be!"

Joey agreed, saying "There seems to be no weakness to that Egyptian God. Illidan is in real trouble now."

Yami only stared on, trying to figure out a way for Illidan to get out of this mess. Yugi interrupted his thoughts by saying "He'll find a way. Don't forget guys, he still has two other Egyptian Gods at his disposal as well."

The others slowly nodded, but still, none were too sure of what Illidan would do.

Back on the field, Illidan stood there in slight shock. "_Without Slifer, I'm in real trouble now. And with a stronger monster to contend with on the other side of the field, how long can I hold on?_" Putting those thoughts out of his head, he decided to just continue on and try to take down Anubis.

Taking a deep breath, he then said "Alright Gozaburo, I now set one card face down and end my turn." (Gozaburo 2050, Illidan 8450)


	135. Chapter 135: End Game, Pt 6

**Hey there everyone. I'm glad everyone liked that little chapter about the origins of Anubis and how Gozaburo came to claim both him and the crown. As everyone has seen, so far, Anubis has demonstrated he is a bit more powerful than Illidan originally thought. Is it possible Illidan could lose this one? That's a question that will be answered this week. For now though, I'll answer reviews.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, he does, but wearing him down is hard when he has to deal with Anubis popping up. Also, Gozaburo is somewhat careful about how low his points get seeing how he keeps boosting them.**

**Ryon Nakura: True, you've hit the very rock bottom. Getting cursed by Ryou is just bad. Pats him on back, which distracts him while stealing Ryon's wallet. It's alright Ryon. I have a feeling things can't get too much worse. Evilly grins as he walks away with wallet.**

**Berry Kisses: Lol, poor Ryou. At least you're gaining weight. Sees Ryou begin shaking and twitching. Oh yeah, the reaction. Well, that just sucks to be him. Pokes Ryou with stick. Come on now, don't die yet. If you did, who would keep those crazy fan girls company?**

**Fire Princess: I'll tie him to the wall for you next time. Also, just get some pure lard and start funneling it into him. That works just as well, hehe.**

**Strawberry Cake: Fetches Ryon a lawyer, none other than Harvey Birdman. Harvey: "I'll take the case!" Btw, he's yet to win a case. Good luck!**

**Brianna Ishtar: There is more left Ryon. Hands him the bill for his protection services. It's a bit more than I originally said it'd be, but don't worry, I'll continue to do a great job. Just start paying soon. You know, half demons do need money.**

**sweetxokissesxo: LOL! Poor Ryou. Walks over and picks large weight up with one finger. Hell, this is only 30 pounds!**

**pink-kiss-candy: Hmm, just a crazy guess here, but I think it was Ryon. Ryou: "IT WAS ME! YOU KNOW, ME, RYOU! THE GUY WITH WHITE HAIR AND SAYS 'CHAP!'" Looks at Ryou. Nah, couldn't be you. Had to be Ryon.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, it could be a bad thing. He so far has the abilities of both Ra and Slifer, which is rather bad to start with. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to find time this weekend to read. Saturday, I was busy, then today I had to go do quite a few things. Sheesh, I need a vacation so I can just read.**

**RedemptionWarrior: Yes, I did add one. Anubis has been done so many ways though, which is odd. One fic I've read had him gaining attack points by removing monsters from play and adding their attack and defense to create his own. Another had the three Egyptian Gods fused together to create him, and his points were infinite. There were others, but for the most part, Anubis is done many ways. The way I did it seemed easy, and simple enough to keep track of.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Indeed that does describe the duel, lol. But yes, this duel is action packed, and it's going to be a wild one till the end.**

**Alright, now that that's done, I should tell you all that most likely, I'll post the ending of this story Thursday rather than Friday now. This is due that I'm going to drive up to my fiancé's on Thursday evening when I get home from work. So, I'll post it Thursday evening for everyone. I wanted to post it Friday originally, but due that I can't, Thursday will do. Till then though, do enjoy the story. Trust me, it'll be good till the very end. Later all.**

**Chapter 135**

Gozaburo smiled evilly and drew his card. "Now I shall play the magic card known as Mystik Wok. This magic card allows me to sacrifice one monster on my side of the field in order to increase my life points by that monster's attack or defense points. So, I shall sacrifice Anubis in order to increase my life points by Anubis's attack points!" Anubis then began to disappear. Slowly, Gozaburo's life points then increased by the 4050 attack points that Anubis had had. With this development, Marie's body then began to reform. Most of it returned to her thanks to this boost to Gozaburo's life points.

Gozaburo smiled evilly as the boost also gave him more life points to work with when Anubis was back. Then he said "I summon my Gravekeeper's Cannonholder (1400/1200) in attack mode!" A man in a black set of robes that held a cannon then appeared on the field.

"Now Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, attack Illidan's pathetic The Creator with Cannon Fodder Shot!" The man then aimed his cannon at The Creator and fired a blast from his cannon. A cannon ball zoomed quickly towards Illidan's weakened golden monster.

Quickly reacting, Illidan said "I don't think so Gozaburo! I now activate the trap card known as Magic Cylinder. Now your attack will be fired directly back at your own life points!" Twin barrels then appeared on the field. The cannon ball entered on barrel and then came flying straight out the other that was pointed at Gozaburo. Gozaburo was struck by the flying cannon ball and slid back slightly. He only grinned evilly at the blast that struck him. Marie then cried out in pain as part of her body once again disappeared.

Chuckling, Gozaburo then said "Not bad Illidan, but of course you just made Marie suffer instead. Finally, I'll place one card face down. Now I'll end my move. Expect my Egyptian God Card though to return to the field and he will annihilate your monsters on my turn." (Gozaburo 4700, Illidan 8450)

Sighing, Illidan drew his card. Looking at it, he let out a sigh at the sight of his Yamata Dragon. In a way, it was useless to summon this monster. He then decided there was something he could do with it. After all, he could sacrifice two monsters and then use his Precious Cards from Beyond to draw two new cards.

Before he could say anything though, Gozaburo's Graveyard glowed with a brilliant white aura. Once again, Anubis then returned to the field, taking an attack mode position. He seemed to almost be taunting Illidan to attack him. Growling slightly, Illidan figured he'd better try something and soon. Suddenly an idea hit him. If it worked, he might be able to at least slow Gozaburo down somewhat.

"Now I play Monster Reborn, allowing me to bring back my powerful Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) in attack mode!" The mighty black dragon then returned to the field and let out a powerful roar.

Gozaburo only laughed and said "Have you forgotten Anubis is out? I guess so, cause now you've triggered his special effect. Anubis, drain that pathetic dragon's attack points with Energy Drain!" Anubis then brought his fist back and then sent a blast of pure white energy flying at the black dragon. The blast hit the dragon hard, tearing through a wing completely and causing him to fall to the ground. Screeching in pain, the once strong dragon lay down on the ground (400/2000).

Joey looked at his once powerful dragon and felt a great sadness in his heart. "Red-Eyes didn't deserve that." he said sadly.

Back on the field, Illidan then continued by saying "Next I activate The Creator's special effect. By discarding one card, I can now special summon one monster from my Graveyard. So, I discard my Sinister Serpent to the Graveyard in order to special summon my Perfect Machine King (2700/1500) to the field in attack mode!" The golden monster then glowed and shot a blast of energy at Illidan's Graveyard. Suddenly, the Graveyard glowed and the powerful machine monster card came out. Then the powerful machine monster reappeared on the field and let out a mechanized moan.

Gozaburo chuckled again and said "Thanks Illidan. That means I can once again weaken your monster with Anubis! Now use your Energy Drain Anubis!" Anubis then fired yet another powerful burst of energy at the huge machine monster. It moaned loudly as part of it's side was disintegrated by the blast. There was a gaping hole through the monster, with circuits and wires hanging out, each sparking from where the connections were broken.

Keith yelled out "Why you little! Why did you let my monster get shredded?"

Illidan only ignored Keith and then said "I'm not done yet. Now I sacrifice both of these weaker monsters in order to summon the powerful monster I won from Noa, which is known as Yamata Dragon (2600/3100) in attack mode!" Both torn up monsters then disappeared from the field and the powerful twelve headed dragon appeared in their place.

Gozaburo only let loose a huge laugh at Illidan and said "You wasted my time to make that move! How pathetic! Anubis, use your Energy Drain on that pathetic dragon!" Anubis then fired a blast of pure energy at the multiple head dragon. The blast destroyed half of the dragon's heads and left open wounds all over (600/3100).

Noa gasped as his dragon was now half the dragon he once was. Illidan then said "I'm sorry Yamata Dragon for putting you through that, but you'll be healed soon. Now thanks to my double sacrifice, Precious Cards from Beyond activates, thus allowing me to draw two new cards!" Illidan then drew his two new cards and smiled at the sight of Raigeki and King's Knight.

"_Sweet!_" he said silently to himself. He then looked at Gozaburo and smiled. "Watch this Gozaburo. I now play the magic card Raigeki, thus destroying your powerful Egyptian God Card and Gravekeeper's Cannonholder!" Gozaburo watched as his powerful God Card was struck by lightening, as well as his weaker Gravekeeper. He only smirked at the sight of both being destroyed.

Illidan then said "Dark Magician of Chaos, direct attack his life points with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The powerful mage then aimed his staff at Gozaburo and fired a beam of black energy at him, easily striking Gozaburo and causing him to go to one knee. Marie screamed in agony as her body began to disappear again. Illidan kind of seemed sad to have attacked, but he knew he had to.

"Now Yamata Dragon, time to get even for that earlier shot. Direct attack his life points with Ancient Flame!" The wounded dragon then aimed the remaining heads at Gozaburo and let loose a powerful fire attack. The blast slightly wasn't too strong, but it was enough to make Gozaburo slightly slide back. Marie cried out in pain once again as part of her body once again disappeared.

Illidan then said "Thanks to Yamata Dragon's special ability, I'm allowed to draw till I hold five cards in my hand, so I get to draw two new cards." Illidan then picked up two more cards from his deck. He smiled greatly at the two cards he had just drawn. "Now I'll place two cards face down, and end my turn. Since I'm ending, my Yamata Dragon now returns to my hand." The powerful dragon then returned to the card on Illidan's Duel Disk and then he added it to his hand once again. (Gozaburo 1300, Illidan 8450)

Illidan then watched as Gozaburo drew his next card, and then suddenly Anubis returned to the field in attack mode.

Illidan only smiled and said "It's time to put Anubis down once and for all! I activate the trap card Ring of Destruction! Now this card will allow me to destroy one monster on the field, and I choose Anubis! Once he is destroyed, his attack and defense points shall be deducted from both our life points. Since you only have 1300, you'll automatically lose!" A ring then appeared on the field. On the sides of it, it carried many explosives. It then quickly crossed the field and attached itself to Anubis. Anubis remained still. He didn't attempt to grab at the collar or anything. He just stood there like a statue.

Gozaburo then burst out loud laughing. "I don't think so Illidan. I reveal my trap card, Altar for Tribute! Now I use this trap to sacrifice my Anubis in order to add his attack points to my life points! Nice try Illidan, but not nice enough." Suddenly an altar then appeared under Anubis. Anubis then disappeared just as the collar was exploding.

Illidan slightly growled as he watched Gozaburo's life points climb up instead of going to 0. As well, Marie regained some more of her body with this boost.

Gozaburo only laughed and then said "I now play this magic card called Card of Sanctity. This card allows us both to draw till we hold six cards in our hand. So, go ahead and draw Illidan!"

Illidan then drew two more cards from his deck. He gasped at the draw of Obelisk the Tormentor and Snatch Steal.

"Now I play the three magic cards known as 7. When there are three are on the field at the same time, I'm allowed to draw three more cards from my deck. Next, all three of the 7 magic cards are sent to the Graveyard. When they go to the Graveyard, I gain 700 life points from each, so I gain a total of 2100 life points!" Gozaburo's points then went up by 2100, and a good portion of Marie's body was then returned to her for that large gain.

Smiling, Gozaburo then said "I now play the magic card known as Premature Burial. I now must give up 800 life points in order to resurrect a monster from my Graveyard. So, I give up 800 life points in order to resurrect Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) in attack mode!" As Gozaburo lost life points, a small portion of Marie's body disappeared again. She screamed in pain, but seemed to do better than she had in the past with the loss of her body. Suddenly then the man with black robes then appeared again on the field.

"Next Gravekeeper's Curse's special effect kicks in. You now lose 500 life points Illidan!" The man in black robes then brought his hands forth and sent a blast of energy at Illidan. The energy smacked into Illidan, barely doing much damage.

"Now for the roulette. Let's see who you'll lose this time!" Slowly, the flaming sphere circled the field.

Finally, it slowed down nearly on Joey. Like before though, it slightly slipped on over to Keith, who screamed "NO, NOT AGAIN! IT'S RIGGED! I KNOW IT IS!" Quickly though, Keith began to disappear back into the Shadow Realm again.

Illidan growled at the fact he had just lost Keith again, but then returned his attention to Gozaburo. "Next, I shall sacrifice my Gravekeeper's Curse in order to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (1900/1200) in defense mode!" As the black robed man disappeared, a new monster in white and black colored robes appeared. He held a staff in one hand as he moved to a defensive stance.

"Thanks to my summoning of Gravekeeper's Chief, I'm now allowed to resurrect another Gravekeeper from my Graveyard, and I shall choose yet another Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) in defense mode!" Suddenly another black robed man then reappeared on the field. He smiled as his aura powered up.

Gozaburo then said "You know the drill though Illidan. Now Gravekeeper's Curse, do 500 damage to him!" The black robed man then fired a blast of energy at Illidan. The blast wasn't too severe, so Illidan just stood his ground.

"Ah, time for yet another game of roulette. I love this game!" called out Gozaburo. Slowly, the flaming sphere started circling once again. This time, it stopped shockingly right in front of Seto.

Gozaburo then maniacally laughed, saying "GOOD RIDDENS SETO, YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!"

"No, not Seto!" called out Illidan with a look of great worry.

"SETO!" screamed Mokuba as Seto slowly began to disappear.

"WHAT IS THIS?" screamed Seto as his body began to disappear. The others all gasped as Seto slowly began to fade away. Finally, Seto then disappeared completely with his final words being "You'd better not lose Illidan!"

Illidan bowed his head, for he had just lost a good rival, as well as a friend. Growling, Illidan then looked up and glared at Gozaburo who could only laugh.

"Easy come, easy goes, eh Illidan?" Gozaburo taunted.

Illidan continued to growl, and then said "You won't get away with this! I promise you, I'll take you down!"

Gozaburo only laughed and then said "I place one card face down and end my move." (Gozaburo 4600, Illidan 7450)

Illidan quickly drew, but as soon as he had, Gozaburo's Graveyard lit up with the brilliant white aura. Soon enough, Anubis then appeared on the field in attack mode again. Illidan slightly growled at this, but figured he'd better do all he could this turn.

"First, I return my Sinister Serpent to my hand from the Graveyard. Now Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Gravekeeper's Curse with Chaos Slice!" The powerful black armor clad mage then brought his staff up and made a cutting motion with it, sending a powerful blade of energy flying at the black robed man. The man was easily sliced right in half and blew up into many pieces.

Illidan then smiled and said "I now play the magic card called Snatch Steal. This magic card allows me to take one of your monsters and make it my own. The monster I choose is your Gravekeeper's Chief!" Suddenly the white and black robed man then stood and shifted sides, making Gozaburo raise an eyebrow to the development.

"Why bother taking my monster? He's useless to you."

Illidan only chuckled and said "Maybe so to you, but not to me. Now I activate The Creator's special effect. By discarding one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can now bring one monster back from the Graveyard. So, I choose to send Sinister Serpent to the Graveyard, thus allowing me to revive Perfect Machine King (2700/1500) in attack mode!" The golden monster then turned towards Illidan and fired a small beam that shot into his Graveyard. It then glowed and the powerful machine monster returned to the field, letting out a small mechanical moan.

Gozaburo only laughed and said "You've triggered Anubis's special effect Illidan! Now use your Energy Drain on that pathetic scrap heap Anubis!" Anubis then pulled his hand back and fired a beam of pure white energy at the machine monster. Like last time, a hole was blown completely through the machine monster, causing it to groan as it fell to it's knees, showing that it had lost a great deal of strength (700/1500).

Illidan then bowed his head to where his bangs hid his face and he silently said to himself "I'm sorry Keith, I didn't mean to disrespect your card, but soon I'll make it up."

Up on the wall, the others were trying to figure out what Illidan was doing. "Why did he bother to bring back a monster he knew would get blasted?" asked Duke.

Suddenly, it hit Yugi why, as well as Yami. Looking at one another, Yugi said "He's about to summon another, isn't he?"

Yami only smiled and said "Yes, I believe he is."

Back on the field, Illidan then looked up at Gozaburo, and said "Now I sacrifice Gravekeeper's Chief, Perfect Machine King, and Dark Magician of Chaos in order to summon the Egyptian God Card known as Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" Suddenly all three monsters disappeared in a brilliant flash of light and the Shadow Realm seem to grow darker yet again. In a flash of blue lightening, the huge blue skinned Egyptian God appeared in front of Illidan. It let out a small roar to try and strike some fear into Gozaburo.

Gozaburo only laughed at Illidan and said "You fool, you think by summoning your second Egyptian God Card you'll have a chance? How pathetic. Now Anubis, use your Energy Drain on Obelisk the Tormentor!" Anubis then glared at the powerful blue Egyptian God. The glare seemed to make Obelisk tremble in fear, but he still stood his ground. The God of Life and Death then fired a powerful blast of pure white energy at Obelisk, causing the Egyptian God to cry out in pain. His strength was then cut in half (2000/4000).

Illidan only chuckled, saying "You do realize, this isn't permanent, unlike how you have done my The Creator. Unlike him, monster effects only last one turn on Egyptian God Cards."

Gozaburo only laughed and said "Yes, I do realize that. Now hurry up and finish so I can crush you."

Illidan only then said "I shall then. Thanks to my summoning of Obelisk the Tormentor, my Precious Cards from Beyond activates. Now I draw two new cards." Looking at his newly drawn Waboku, and more importantly his The Winged Dragon of Ra, Illidan smiled. "I shall place two cards face down and end my move." (Gozaburo 4600, Illidan 7450)


	136. Chapter 136: End Game, Pt 7

**Hey everybody! Audience says "Hi Dr. Illidan!" Ok, maybe I shouldn't have watched the Simpsons before doing the review, hehe. Anyways, glad everyone liked the last chapter. Illidan finally got another break, and summoned a second Egyptian God, thus making it Egyptian God on Egyptian God again. Who will walk away with the title of the ultimate Egyptian God, who knows! Lol, but anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as well. Now, onto answering the reviews.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Indeed he is. Note he always makes sure he has the points to pull something off. That way if he needs the points, he has them. And yes Keith, it was rigged. I was in the background forcing the fire sphere to stop specifically on you, hehe. Don't worry about the reviews though. I understand about school and all. It makes thing hard, and time just becomes less and less when in it, but then again, so does when you work…**

**x-knight20: It's alright. It happens. Nothing to worry about.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yep, Thursday is the last day. Thanks. I do hope everyone has enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it, and if I ever get around to it (I hope I do), I plan on writing that last sequel and a one shot that happens before the sequel.**

**Ryon Nakura: Of course I'm a nice guy! Do you think a half demon couldn't be? That's right though Ryon, you're yesterday's news. Today's news has me on the front page, holding up wallets, purses, and plenty of women's shredded clothing! Smacked from behind by fiancé. I mean, only wallets and purses. Gets smacked again. Alright, just wallets! Patted no the head and told he's a good half dog demon. Sighs The things I do to keep her happy, lol. Pays guy playing violin to keep playing. Ah yes, such a sad thing.**

**Berry Kisses: Looks at Ryou shaking and twitching in floor from overdose on chocolate. Maybe you're getting better after all Ryon. Now, if only you could beat Marik… Watches Ryon nervously twitch at mention of Marik.**

**Fire Princess: Here, allow me to keep feeding him. Pulls out water hose hooked up to tank of lard. Open wide! Turns on nozzle and force feds Ryou lard for an hour.**

**Strawberry Cake: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Yes, I got you a lawyer who hasn't won a case yet Ryon. You never know, he could win anytime now. I thought, why not roll the dice and try it. Watches Birdman sleeping with briefcase as pillow. See, he's already hard at work.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Sure I have Ryon. You just haven't noticed it yet. Notices Ryon on ground chocking on chocolate bars. Hmm, should I help? Thinks for a moment. Ah hell, just to prove my point, I'll help "protect" you. Smacks his back hard, causing him to go flying through a wall, in which he then spits all the chocolate bars out. You're welcome!**

**sweetxokissesxo: Uh, Ryou, I hate to tell you, but that's a set of weights that I made from balloons and painted up to be 200 lbs. You're actually lifting about one lb, if not less. Sees wallet. Oh wait, that's mine. Smirks evilly as he walks away with it.**

**pink-kiss-candy: Yep, he does have it in his hand. Happy days! Sure Ryou, it'll be there, eventually. Uh, you're not actually the prince Ryon. More like the court jester, hehe.**

**Well, that's all for today. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. The end is slowly coming. I'm kind of sad, yet happy at the same time, seeing how the sequel to this story is already wrote. I'm sad though also due that that means I need to get my ass to work on the final sequel, lol. I have ideas for it, but I need to write the one shot before I do that, and it is a pain in the ass… I had most of it done, but my computer seems to have not saved it. Threatens computer with claws. Do it again, and I'll slash you! And yes people, I'm talking to my computer. It's my _precious_! Well, not really, lol. More like semi-precious.**

**At any rate, I'm due to get married Friday. We booked a place to do it at in Winchester, VA. It should be fun. I can't wait for the next three days to go by. I just wish it was already Thursday evening, so I could leave to be with her. Sigh Oh well, it will come soon enough.**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter, and I'll post yet again tomorrow. Later all.**

**Chapter 136**

Upon ending his move, Illidan's Obelisk roared as his strength then returned to him (4000/4000).

Gozaburo smiled evilly at this and drew his card, saying "It's far from over Illidan. Watch as I reveal my trap, Rite of Spirit! Now I return my powerful Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) in defense mode, thus doing yet another 500 damage to you!" Illidan was shocked to see the black robed man reappear on the field. The man in black robes then glowed and pushed his hands forward. He then fired a beam straight at Illidan, making Illidan groan in pain as the blast struck him.

Gozaburo then let out an evil laughter, saying "Now it's time to see who shall suffer a trip to the Shadow Realm this time!" The sphere of flames then began to make it's way around the field. Once it made it around once, it slowed down. Finally, it came to rest on Ishizu.

Odion, Marik, and Shadi could only gasp as they saw what they feared the most.

"NO, PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY SISTER!" screamed Marik. But it was too late. The Shadow Realm began to claim its prize as Ishizu screamed in pain.

"No! Please, take me instead Gozaburo!" called out Shadi. Gozaburo only ignored him though. Shadi then looked at Ishizu with tears in his eyes and saw Ishizu had the same in her eyes.

"It's alright Shadi. Just remember, I love you!" she said in a sad voice.

Shadi then yelled back "I love you too Ishizu!"

As he had said that, Ishizu finally disappeared. Marik sobbed for his sister, for he loved her very much as well.

Gozaburo then looked up and said "If you wish to hate someone, hate Illidan! He let this happen. He didn't finish me off soon enough, so now your sister must suffer!"

Marik looked down as a flash of anger filled his eyes. He then yelled "It isn't Illidan's fault! It is you who have decided to play with our hearts and minds as if we're play things! I will never blame Illidan for what he has done today!"

Gozaburo only laughed and said "You'll see soon enough though Marik. You'll truly grow to hate Illidan for what he's done. Now, continuing on, I shall summon yet another Gravekeeper's Curse (800/800) in defense mode, thus doing yet another 500 damage to you Illidan!"

Illidan was shocked yet again, as yet another black robed man with an evil smile appeared. He then brought his hands forward and fired a blast of energy at Illidan, striking him and causing Illidan to go down to one knee. The blasts were starting to take their toll on him over all this time.

Gozaburo only laughed and said "Let's see who is next to take a trip to the Shadow Realm!" With that, the sphere of flames started circling the field. Finally, it slowed down and completely stopped right in front of Mai.

Joey cried out "NO!" Mai then cried out in pain as she slowly began to disappear.

"No, Mai! Please, don't go! I… I love you!" Joey finally cried out with tears in his eyes.

Mai had tears in her eyes as well and said "I love you too Joey! Be strong for me!" With those final words, she disappeared.

Joey only continued to sob, as did Serenity and some of the others. Joey then glared down at Gozaburo with fire in his eyes and screamed "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE US ALONE YOU FREAK?"

Gozaburo only laughed evilly at this statement. Illidan only glared daggers at Gozaburo as well, but Gozaburo continued to laugh. The torment in their eyes and voices is what he truly wanted. The whole purpose of this duel had been to make Illidan and his friends suffer.

He then said "This is what I wanted. I want you all to suffer as I did five millennia ago. Each of you shall suffer for what I suffered. Now, I end my move, so you'd better make this one count Illidan." (Gozaburo 4600, Illidan 6450)

Illidan then drew his card and said "You'll never get away with this Gozaburo, trust me! Now I return my Sinister Serpent to my hand from the Graveyard. Next, I activate The Creator's special effect. I send to the Graveyard my The Winged Dragon of Ra in order to revive Slifer the Sky Dragon (5000/5000)!" The powerful golden monster then fired a beam into Illidan's Graveyard, but this time a blinding red light came pouring out. Suddenly, there reappeared the mighty Egyptian God Card in all it's glory. The powerful red dragon roared, showing that it was back to finish the job it had started. Anubis let out a soft growl, making Slifer tremble slightly.

Gozaburo only laughed, saying "Why bother with that pathetic Egyptian God Card? He's far too pathetic to even defeat me! Now Anubis, use Energy Drain on that pathetic creature!" Anubis prepared to deliver his powerful energy burst, but Illidan cut in.

"Not so fast! I reveal my trap card, Call of the Haunted! This trap allows me to revive yet another monster, and I choose to revive my all powerful The Winged Dragon of Ra (0/0)!" Illidan's Graveyard then glowed with an awesome bright golden light, and then there appeared the powerful third Egyptian God Card. The mighty golden dragon let out a powerful roar, trying to strike some fear into Anubis. Anubis let out a small growl this time at Ra, causing the most powerful of the three Egyptian God Cards to tremble.

Everyone on the wall was shocked at this development. Yami and Yugi looked on with enthused smiles.

"He's done it! He brought all three out Yami!" called an excited Yugi.

Yami only smiled and said "Yes, I see. Now we'll see how all three stacks up to Anubis."

Meanwhile, Joey laughed and celebrated, saying "YES! He's got all three Egyptian God Cards out! He'll for sure win now!"

The others all were cheering as well, but Gozaburo only burst their bubble.

"It pains me to say this Illidan, but your summoning of Ra has triggered Anubis's special effect. Anubis, use Energy Drain on that pathetic excuse for Egyptian God Card!" called out Gozaburo. Anubis then brought his other hand forward and prepared to fire a second blast with it.

Illidan only smirked and said "I don't think so! Now I activate Obelisk the Tormentor's special effect. I now sacrifice both Ra and Slifer to Obelisk, thus making his strength infinite!"

The two Egyptian Gods then took to the air. Slifer then rapped himself around Obelisk's right arm, putting his head near Obelisk's fist. Ra then transformed into his phoenix form, better known as Egyptian God Phoenix. Ra then did the same as Slifer had and grabbed onto Obelisk's left arm, placing his head near the left fist of Obelisk. Obelisk then roared as he powered up his two fists as well.

Illidan then yelled "This one is for all those you destroyed Gozaburo! Now Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra, use Titan Firestorm to destroy Anubis and to win this duel!" The three Egyptian Gods then took aim on Anubis, who had stopped his preparation to use Energy Drain. Then Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra let loose their most deadly attacks at once. Obelisk's Fist of Fate, Slifer's Thunder Force, and Ra's Phoenix Flame combined into one huge blast that headed straight for Anubis. The blast was at the power of infinite, so Anubis would be totally annihilated.

Everyone cheered as the blast was let loose, thinking Illidan had it won.

Suddenly, Gozaburo cut in, saying "I sacrifice both of my Gravekeeper's Curses to Anubis, thus activating his own special effect! Now Anubis, gain infinite strength and show these pathetic monsters who is the true Egyptian God!" Anubis then shot a beam at both men in black robes and absorbed both. Then Anubis glowed with his awesome white aura and brought both arms forward like he had with his normal attack.

Gozaburo then let out a huge burst of laughter and said "Anubis, counter attack with Judgment of Death!"

Illidan was totally shocked, much like the group on the wall, as well as Marie. Anubis then fired a huge blast of pure white energy at the powerful blast that Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra had fired. The blasts collided with one another, causing a huge shockwave, as well as a brilliant, blinding light. Also, a huge gust of wind came sweeping over the field. The force of the two blasts meeting was terrifying.

Illidan watched in shock as the blasts collided and just pushed on one another. Finally, all four monsters gave out and all of them blew up from the shockwave sent back from the two blasts. Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra screamed in pain as they blew into millions of pieces, but Anubis calmly blew up like it was nothing to die. The shockwave knocked Illidan to the ground with a tremendous force. He laid there for a moment after the blast finally subsided. There was so much smoke from the blast from both monsters, but it was finally subsiding as well. Illidan slowly stood, in complete shock that his three Egyptian God Cards were now gone.

Gozaburo meanwhile was only laughing evilly on the other side of the field. He then pointed a finger at Illidan, screaming "I told you he was stronger than your three combined! Did you listen, no! Do you get it now? My Egyptian God Card is invincible!"

The others on the wall were still in shock. Yugi and Yami were just in dismay.

"NO WAY!" called out Yugi.

Yami only could say "I don't believe it either. Illidan just used the most powerful weapon available to the three Egyptian Gods, and yet Anubis countered it with the same type of blast."

Yugi looked at Yami and in a slightly panicked voice said "What now? Illidan has no way to beat Anubis without those three!"

Yami looked back and said calmly to Yugi "Don't panic. Illidan will think of something, I'm sure of it. He has always found a way to win, and this is no exception to the rule."

Yugi nodded slowly, but still was worried.

On the field, Illidan looked out at the field, seeing he had nothing but his The Creator left. He fell to one knee, trembling, and for once, he was afraid. "_I just used all three Egyptian God Cards, and still Anubis beat them. What do I do now? I… I don't know what to do for once. Is this it? Is this how it ends?_" He bowed his head, hiding his eyes in his bangs. He was slightly shaking from the fear he had of for once not knowing what to do.

Then he heard a voice saying "Don't give up Illidan! You can still do it, I know you can!"

Looking up, he saw that it was Marie who had said that. She was staring at him, with eyes of confidence in him. "I know you'll find a way Illidan! You can do it. Just remember, we all believe in you, and you have to believe in yourself as well as your deck. Remember the Heart of the Cards!" Marie called out.

Illidan nodded slowly and stood back up.

Gozaburo then cut in and said "You know, it would be much easier if you just gave up Illidan. Why suffer this humiliating defeat when you can just surrender? I'll even let the remaining others go. Of course, they'll be my slaves once I make my wish, but they'll be alive. So why bother to continue this struggle? You'll get what you want in a way, so just why not give up?"

Illidan then took a deep breath and said "No, I won't give up yet. I can still turn things around and defeat you. I guarantee you that I will defeat you. Now, it's still my move! So now I set one monster in defense mode and end my move!" (Gozaburo 4600, Illidan 6450)

Gozaburo only laughed and said "I see you're still thinking you can win. So be it." He then drew and his Graveyard glowed brightly. Once again, Anubis then returned to the field in attack mode.

Gozaburo then laughed and said "It's pointless to keep this up Illidan. I had hopes that you'd surrender, but I see how dense you are. Now watch as I summon my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (1500/1000) in attack mode!" A man in black robes appeared on the field. He wielded a mighty spear as well.

"Now Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, attack Illidan's pathetic The Creator with Grave Spear!"

The black robed man quickly crossed the field and prepared to smash the weaker monster when Illidan said "I activate my trap card, Mirror Force! Now both Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier and Anubis, The God of Life and Death are destroyed!"

Gozaburo only smirked at his monsters destruction and said "Fine then Illidan. I'll now set two cards face down, and end my turn then. Don't forget though, Anubis shall be back next turn, muwhaha!" (Gozaburo 4600, Illidan 6450)

Illidan then drew his next card and smiled. It was Bakura's powerful Dark Ruler Ha Des. Suddenly, Gozaburo's Graveyard then glowed with a white aura and Anubis then returned to the field in attack mode again.

Looking at his hand, Illidan had an idea on how to get rid of Anubis, possibly forever. Grinning, Illidan then said "I summon my D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in defense mode." A female warrior then appeared on the field in a one knee position with her arms crossed to defend herself.

Gozaburo only laughed, saying "You've triggered Anubis's special effect. Anubis, use your Energy Drain to blow away that pathetic monster!" Anubis then stretched his one hand out and fired a blast of powerful white energy at the female warrior.

The blast easily struck her, but Illidan only grinned. "Now you've done it Gozaburo! You've triggered D.D. Warrior Lady's special effect. When she's attacked, I can choose to remove her from play, along with the monster that destroyed her. So I now remove D.D. Warrior Lady from play in order to remove Anubis from play! Now D.D. Warrior Lady, use Dimensional Rift!" The female warrior then struggled to make it across the field and grabbed onto the Egyptian God. Suddenly then a rift in the air formed as both Anubis and the female warrior started to float up towards it. Finally, both D.D. Warrior Lady and Anubis entered the rift, which caused the rift to then close shut.

Illidan smiled and said "That's the end of Anubis, once and for all. Now I activate The Creator's special effect. By discarding my Sinister Serpent, I can now revive my powerful Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" The golden monster then fired a beam into Illidan's Graveyard, causing a huge blue beam to come flying out of it. Suddenly the mighty blue skinned Egyptian God returned, letting out a roar at Gozaburo.

Illidan smiled and then said "Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Gozaburo directly with Fist of Fate!" Obelisk then pulled his huge arm back and powered up. Then with a tremendous force, he pushed his fist forward and struck Gozaburo with it's full power. Gozaburo was knocked backwards about 10 feet and laid on the ground for a second. Then Marie cried out in pain as almost all of her body disappeared. Only most of her head, her hands, and her feet were left.

Illidan only gave her the most sorrowful look he could and said "It'll be over soon Marie."

Once the pain subsided for her, she nodded, saying "Do what you need to do Illidan."

Then suddenly there was a huge chuckle from where Gozaburo laid on the ground. His chuckle then broke out into a huge maniacal laughter as he slowly stood up with his hand over half his face. He then slowly limped over to his position and removed his hand from his face. There to everyone's surprise was metal and a red robot eye.

He only laughed more and more maniacally as he said "YOU THINK IT'S OVER! GUESS AGAIN ILLIDAN!"

Illidan only sighed, seeing how truly insane Gozaburo was. "I'll now end my turn. Now, since I had to bring Obelisk from the Graveyard, he automatically returns to my Graveyard, so return now my mighty Egyptian God Card." Obelisk then glowed and slowly disappeared. Finally, Illidan placed the card back in the Graveyard. "Make your move, if you dare Gozaburo." stated Illidan boldly. (Gozaburo 600, Illidan 6450)


	137. Chapter 137: End Game, Pt 8

**Hey there everyone. Glad all of you liked the last chapter of my story. As you all saw, even the three combined were no match for Anubis. Could it possibly be the end for Illidan? Or will he find a way to overcome Anubis and do the impossible, which is defeat Gozaburo? Find out next time on the next chapter of _Tournament of Power_! Well, that's all for today…**

**Dodges barrage of objects being thrown his way. I was just kidding! Don't take it personally! Lol, but seriously, first I must answer some reviews.**

**Soinicx: Thanks, and welcome aboard the review group. Don't pay any attention to the weird girls, Ryou, or Ryon. But thanks again for the comment.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Could it really? Never know, Anubis may have finally found death… possibly. But yes, I'm getting married Friday. I can't wait! I'll have to show pictures. Don't worry about the fact me and Marie (aka Cindy) look like humans. It's just a concealment charm. Yeah… Gift? I have an address! Send it fast, hehe.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: True, Gozaburo seems to get more dangerous when backed down into a corner. Could it really be the end of Anubis? Don't know, lol. It's alright about not reviewing. It happens, as in my case, lol. I thought since I was home alone this week, I'd be able to read more, BUT NO! I have less time than ever! But yeah, the 7 cards are helpful. They're actually in the AST (Ancient Sanctuary) set. Lol, everyone wants Anubis. Maybe it is the end of Anubis… or is it…**

**Strawberry Cake: Lol, he's doomed. Hmm, maybe if I hire this other guy too. Points at a guy on the street corner. Yeah, he'd help. Harvey: "No fear Mr. Nakura, I'll win the case. I just need my fee up front please." Pulls out Ryon's wallet. Do you take credit cards?**

**Ryon Nakura: That's the song someone made up for me. I don't like it much either. Sounds too sappy. Needs to be fixed up some, hehe. Pays violin guy to play again.**

**Berry Kisses: ROFL! Points at Ryon and laughs. Man, you've lost all your edge. Hmm, maybe I should help you get it back. And I know the perfect way! Pulls out cell phone and makes arrangements while evilly smirking. Finally gets off. You know you're not that evil Ryou. Only I could be that evil.**

**Fire Princess: Crackles claws Did you say something sharp? Slashes a big gash out of Ryou, who is now spewing lard all over. Eww… Lard just coated Ryon. Laughs at him anyways.**

**Brianna Ishtar: Because, I'm the good half demon, who is helpful. Meanwhile, you're the loser who got beat up by Marik. See the difference? Me Good, bad ass half demon. You loser who got beat up by Marik. See it yet?**

**sweetxokissesxo: Yes, the weight lifting is my department, while eating cream puffs is yours Ryou. Looks at card. Tosses it over his should then. As Sesshomaru would say, "Useless."**

**pink-kiss-candy: You make a good jester though Ryon. Throws pie at him. Feel any better yet?**

**Alright, that's all for today. I hope you all like this chapter. The end is coming. I'm sure you're all pondering how evil I could be with the ending. Would I dare allow Illidan lose? Or would I have him destroy Marie, only to lose her forever? Who knows, lol. Soon all will be revealed though. Will it end well or not? We'll just have to see, now won't we. Till then though, later all. **

**Chapter 137**

Gozaburo smiled evilly at Illidan and said "Do you truly think Anubis is gone Illidan?"

Illidan only chuckled and said "Yes, he's gone. After all, he's removed from play, so don't get any ideas that he'll be back."

Gozaburo chuckled evilly and then said "Before I begin my move, I activate the trap card known as Ojama Trio! This trap allows me to special summon three Ojama Tokens (0/1000) to your side of the field in defense mode." Three odd looking creatures then appeared on Illidan's field. A green one had one eye with a long tongue, while the yellow one had had two odd eyes hanging low and a huge smile on, and the black one looked like a statue with odd looking eyes and a huge grin as well.

Illidan was slightly repulsed by these three, but he had no choice but to keep them.

Then Gozaburo laughed and said "By the way, when destroyed, you lose 300 life points a token. Now, continuing on!"

Gozaburo then drew. Suddenly, a rift opened above the field like when Anubis had been removed from play. Illidan could only stare in disbelief.

Gozaburo then let out a laugh of evil, and said "Now return to me my Egyptian God Card, Anubis, The God of Life and Death!"

With that, from the rift appeared Anubis. He then landed on Gozaburo's side of the field and took an offensive stance.

Illidan, along with everyone else, was shocked at the return of Anubis. "_Impossible! Is it not possible to destroy Anubis ever?_" Illidan could only stare down the fourth Egyptian God now. He still had two monsters out to defend him, but still, that wasn't too good.

Gozaburo then laughed loudly and said "Now I'll make you suffer even more Illidan. I now activate the face down magic card known as Token Thanksgiving. This magic card allows me to destroy all token monsters and I gain 800 life points a token. Since you have three, I gain 2400 total life points. But it gets better Illidan! Now you lose 900 life points due to the Ojama Token's destruction!" Suddenly then all three Ojama's exploded on Illidan's field. When the smoke cleared, Illidan had lost 900 life points, while Gozaburo's life points had been boosted, thus returning more of Marie's body to her.

Gozaburo then said "Time for the roulette to weed two more out!" Slowly, the sphere of flames circled the field. At last, it stopped on Bakura.

Everyone cried out "BAKURA, NO!" Illidan stood there, realizing it was the first of the Millennium Item holders to fall as well. Bit by bit, Bakura began to disappear. He cried out in pain as the others could only watch in horror.

"I promise I'll find a way to save you Bakura!" called out Illidan to Bakura before he disappeared. Bakura only nodded and then disappeared. Once he disappeared, his Millennium Ring fell to the floor with a loud clang.

Gozaburo sneered at the Millennium Ring lying in the floor and said "So much for one Millennium Item holder. Now, let's see who is next!" With that, the sphere of flames started circling again. Finally it slowed down and finally stopped on, surprisingly of all people, Yugi.

Yami cried out "NO, NOT YUGI!" Then suddenly Yugi began to disappear. Tea, Joey, and all of his close friends had tears streaming down their faces as they watched Yugi scream in pain as his body began to slowly disappear.

He then called down to Illidan, saying "Don't give up hope Illidan! You can still win, I know it! Believe in the Heart of the Cards!"

Illidan nodded with tears in his eyes. He then said "I promise I'll save you. I won't let Gozaburo get away with this!"

Yugi nodded and then said to Yami before he disappeared "Well pal, I'm sorry I won't be around to watch the end. Stay strong, because I know Illidan needs you."

Yami was sobbing, and said "Please don't go!"

Yugi then disappeared, making Yami's plea pointless. With him disappearing, his Millennium Puzzle fell to the floor with a slight clunk.

Gozaburo laughed hard at this development. "So much for that weak set of fools. Soon everyone will be gone Illidan, and you'll be all alone. Then I shall rule this world and reshape it to my desires!"

Illidan only stood there on the field with his bangs hiding his eyes. Tears still were falling from his eyes. Finally, he stopped and looked up at Gozaburo with determination twinkling in his eyes. "I won't let you win Gozaburo. Now, finish up your turn so I can make you pay for what you've done to my friends!"

Gozaburo only chuckled and said "It'll take more than words to win this duel Illidan. Now I play the magic card known as Goblin Thief! This magic card allows me to gain 500 life points while you lose 500!" Illidan's life points then dropped as Gozaburo's life points increased, thus returning more of Marie's body again.

"Looks like it's time to spin the roulette once again!" called out Gozaburo. Again, the sphere of flames ignited and started circling the field. As it slowed, everyone grimaced at the thought of losing another person to the Shadow Realm. At last, the sphere stopped in front of Serenity.

Joey cried out "NO, LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!"

She screamed in pain as her body dissipated into nothingness. Joey fought against the bonds that held him to the wall, desperately trying to get to his sister. She finally looked up at him and said "It's alright Joey. Save your strength. I know Illidan will save me. Just stay strong till then big brother."

Joey couldn't fight the tears back any longer and gave up in defeat that he was stuck. He looked at her with sad eyes and nodded.

Illidan only watched with a deep sadness in his eyes as yet another friend had to suffer due to him losing life points.

He then turned his attention to Gozaburo who was laughing at this display. Finally, Serenity disappeared completely into the Shadow Realm, causing everyone to shed a few tears.

Illidan then growled and said angrily at Gozaburo "Why are you doing this? Leave them out of it! It is me you want, not them!"

Gozaburo only laughed evilly again and stared at the empty spaces on the wall. Then he turned back to Illidan and said "I'd much rather watch the fear and sadness forming than do that. This duel was made to make you suffer, and suffer you will, along with those other fools! Now, I shall set one card face down, and end my move." (Gozaburo 3500, Illidan 5050)

Staring at his deck, Illidan tried of a card that could turn things around. He needed something that would at least get him back in this game. "_Come on Heart of the Cards, please, guide me!_" He then closed his eyes and drew his card. Slowly, he brought it to his face and gasped at the card he'd drawn. "_This will really help me now! I can't wait to show Gozaburo what I have planned._"

Illidan then chuckled and said "I now return my Sinister Serpent from my Graveyard to my hand due to his effect. Next, I send Sinister Serpent back to the Graveyard in order to activate The Creator's special effect. Now I bring back my Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor (4000/4000)!" The golden creature then fired a beam into Illidan's Graveyard, thus igniting a blue blinding light. With the blue light, Obelisk the Tormentor arose above the field once again. Anubis let out a soft growl, which was enough to make the mighty blue Egyptian God tremble.

Gozaburo only burst out loud laughing, saying "What a pathetic move Illidan! You know very well your Egyptian God Card is only here for one turn, yet you bring him back. How utterly stupid of you to do! But for your stupidity, Anubis shall make you pay. Anubis, use your Energy Drain on Obelisk the Tormentor!" The powerful Egyptian God of Life and Death then brought one hand out in front of himself and fired a powerful burst of white energy at the mighty blue Egyptian God. The blast struck the powerful Egyptian God, which howled in pain and fell to one knee. With that, it became apparent that Obelisk was half as strong as he once was (2000/4000).

Illidan only smirked at his weakened Egyptian God Card, but still looked on.

Gozaburo saw the smirk and said "What's that about Illidan? Happy your Egyptian God Card is weaker are you?"

Illidan only lightly chuckled and said "It won't matter in a moment. The card I hold shall change this entire duel."

Gozaburo only replied with "You lie. Nothing in your pathetic deck can stop me. Play whatever you like and you'll fail!"

Illidan smiled and then pulled one card from his hand and held it out with the card image facing him. He then said "This card is about to change the whole game. Now I play the magic card known as Different Dimension Gate!" Illidan then stuck the card in a slot on his Duel Disk and a huge gate then appeared on the field. Above the gate was a portal. Suddenly, the portal came to life and gave off a multicolor shimmer.

Gozaburo only burst out loud laughing. He then pointed at Illidan and said "Have you forgotten Egyptian God Card's can only be affected by a magic or trap card for one turn? Your plan shall fail!"

Illidan only smiled and said "No, you don't understand. This will change everything. Now, Different Dimension Gate's special ability allows me to remove from play one monster on my field, along with one monster on your field. When this card is destroyed, those monsters can return. And I know exactly what two monsters I want removed from play. I choose my own Obelisk the Tormentor, and your Anubis, The God of Life and Death!" The portal then glowed brighter and began to suck in both Egyptian Gods. Slowly, each was drawn closer till Obelisk was sucked in first. Then Anubis, with a look of complete calm on his face, got sucked into the gate as well.

Up on the wall, everyone kind of looked at one another with looks of curiosity on their faces.

Odion then said to Marik "Marik, won't Anubis just return next turn?"

Marik slowly nodded his head and said "It makes no sense though for Illidan to make that move. He knows Egyptian God Cards can only be affected by magic cards for one turn… Wait, that's it!"

Odion looked in surprise at Marik and saw a smile on Marik's face. "What is it Marik?" Odion calmly said.

Marik smiled wider and said "He did know what he did. Just watch Odion. You'll see soon enough."

Yami only slightly chuckled as he had watched Illidan's move. Silently, he said to himself "_I see now Illidan. Nice move._"

Back on the field, Illidan then called to Gozaburo, saying "Now that you're defenseless, it's time I take some of your life points out. I'll first switch The Creator into attack mode." The huge golden creature that had been crouching on one knee then switched into a towering attack mode.

"Next, I'll flip summon my face down Spirit Reaper (300/200)!" A small creature that looked like the Grim Reaper then appeared. He swung his scythe out in front of him, showing his readiness to attack.

"Now, I'll summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in attack mode!" A female knight clad in pink armor then appeared. She held her sword and shield in front of herself, showing readiness to engage in battle.

Illidan then pointed at Gozaburo with one finger and said "It's over Gozaburo! This assault shall finish you off, once and for all! Now Queen's Knight, direct attack his life points with Royal Slash!" The female knight quickly crossed the field and slashed Gozaburo, making him slide back slightly from the slash. As his life points went down, Marie screamed in pain as her body disappeared. Illidan cringed at having done this, but she looked up at him with eyes that said to keep going, no matter what.

Illidan then said "Spirit Reaper, attack Gozaburo's life points with Scythe of Death!" The little monster complied and quickly slashed Gozaburo with it's scythe. Gozaburo didn't make a sound, since this monster had little power. Marie cringed as part of her body disappeared yet again, but looked on with determined eyes.

"It's time I finish this duel Gozaburo! The Creator, direct attack him with Creation's Ending Blast!" The golden monster then put his hands out and fired a powerful burst of golden energy.

As it neared, Gozaburo let loose a huge burst of laughter. "You've triggered my trap card Illidan! I reveal Nutrient Z! This trap allows me to gain 4000 life points whenever I'm about to take 2000 or more damage. Now, I gain 4000 life points, making my total 5700!" Suddenly a good portion of Marie's body then reappeared. She sighed, knowing fully well that it was about to disappear though.

Gozaburo then chuckled and said "Now I lose the 2300 due to your monster's attack!" The blast struck him, knocking Gozaburo to his one knee. Marie screamed in pain as she lost more of her body yet again, but still, she had a good portion left.

Illidan softly growled, knowing he'd failed yet again to finish Gozaburo. Slowly, Illidan then said "I end my move." (Gozaburo 3400, Illidan 5050)

Gozaburo only laughed and then said "You know, as soon as I draw, your pathetic Different Dimension Gate's effect will wear off of Anubis, don't you? I guess not. Now I draw, so Anubis, return!" As soon as he pulled the card from his deck, the gate began to reopen. From the portal, the Egyptian God of Life and Death returned to his traditional position on the field.

Gozaburo only let loose a huge burst of laughter till he saw the portal was suddenly rippling again. Suddenly, a burst of blue light came from the portal as Obelisk came flying back out of it. He then took his stance back on Illidan's side of the field, showing that he was back at full power as well (4000/4000).

Gozaburo then screamed "Impossible!"

Illidan only laughed and pointed at Gozaburo with a finger, saying "Not really. Don't forget, you said it yourself. Egyptian God Cards can only be affected by magic, trap, and monster effects for one turn. Since I had used The Creator to summon Obelisk back from the Graveyard, I knew he'd return, so I decided to take a different approach. Rather than leave him on the field to only return to the Graveyard, I sent him through my Different Dimension Gate. That way I knew for sure he'd return. Now that he's been given a second chance at this duel, Obelisk is going to put Anubis down, once and for all!"

Gozaburo only laughed, replying with "You're so foolish Illidan. Now, watch a true move! I first place one card face down. Next, I activate Anubis's special ability. I now transfer 2350 of my life points to Anubis's points (2000 + 2350 4350/4350)!" Anubis then began to glow with his white aura as his strength began to increase steadily. At the same time, Marie screamed as her body was dissolving. Once the dissolving had ended, her head and her hands and her feet were just about the only things left. Part of her one leg was visible, and part of an arm, but that was it. For the most part, she was once again nearly gone.

Illidan grimaced at this cruelty of Gozaburo, but knew Marie would want him to keep soldiering on.

Then Gozaburo seemed to look at Illidan's field and then said "Anubis, The God of Life and Death, attack Illidan's pathetic Spirit Reaper with Judgment of Death!" Anubis then brought both hands forth and his palms began to glow with a brilliant white light. Suddenly, a huge burst of white energy came out of his palms and headed towards the Grim Reaper looking creature.

Illidan was quick to say "I activate my trap card, Waboku! This trap reduces the damage I'd take this turn to 0 and saves my monster. Nice try though Gozaburo!" Three female mages in blue then appeared in front of the Grim Reaper creature. Each held out a hand and stopped the blast as it struck them. The blast was easily destroyed and Gozaburo only smirked.

"Figures that you'd have a trap down. Now I shall end my turn." (Gozaburo 1050, Illidan 5050)

Illidan slowly drew his card and looked at it. It was his Return From a Different Dimension card. "_This could come in handy, but it's too dangerous to play right now. I'll just set it and protect my monsters._"

"Now my Sinister Serpent returns from the Graveyard to my hand. Next, I'll switch Spirit Reaper, The Creator, and Queen's Knight into defense mode." Each monster then took up a defensive stance. The female knight went to one knee, holding her shield and sword up in a defensive stance. The Grim Reaper creature then shrank back, holding it's scythe out to intercept any attacks. The large golden creature then went back down to one knee, crossing it's arms in front of it's self for a defensive stance.

Then looking at his hand, Illidan began to think about his move. "_Nothing in my Graveyard is strong enough to take on Anubis. After all, Anubis had 4350 attack points now, and Gozaburo still has 1050 life points. He could easily overpower Obelisk with that kind of power, but yet he didn't try last turn. I bet he is afraid I'll activate Obelisk's Infinite Strength if he attacks. Right now, I can't risk Obelisk though. I'll wait till next turn to blow his Egyptian God Card away, that way if something goes wrong, I'll be hopefully ready._"

"Now I'll place one card face down and end my move." (Gozaburo 1050, Illidan 5050)


	138. Chapter 138: End Game, Pt 9

**Hello everyone. First and foremost, I apologize for the lateness of these two chapters. My reasoning is simple though. Wednesday night, I had wrote up my reviews and was ready to post the two chapters when I experienced difficulty loading the docs onto the site. Naturally, I grumbled and reported it (it always happens when I don't need it to, lol). Thursday morning, before work, I attempted to post once again. Sadly, the problem was still not fixed, and I couldn't load my docs still yet. I expressed my irritation with the tech people on about the fact that this problem had had happened many times before, and that it was somewhat irritating to deal with constantly. I was kind about how I said it though, so don't think I was rude and utterly downright disrespectful. I just showed my irritation was all. Anyways, I had no time Thursday evening, due that I had to leave immediately so that I could make it to my fiancé's place before very late (it's a four hour drive. It was 5:30 when I got home. I left at 6. Do the math, lol). So, again, I apologize for not getting this posted sooner.**

**I am happy to report though that I was married August 18th to the most wonderful half demon… I mean girl, hehe, in the world. I spent the entire weekend, plus part of yesterday with her. We're both very happy, and had a wonderful wedding. So, at least there is a positive part of my weekend, hehe.**

**At any rate, now I'll go ahead and post both of the final chapters that I promised to post. Again, sorry it took so long to be posted. I'm sure as you've all guessed, since I said two, there was 139 chapters. I thought about trying for 140, but lol, I ran out of stuff to write, hehe. Anyways, this is it I guess. This is my gift to everyone for all the support I've gotten on this story. I'm kind of sad I guess that this story is finishing up, but glad also, due that the sequel is coming up soon. Probably next week, I'll start posting it. So, no one be sad, due that this will continue. With what outcome though, who knows? Maybe it'll be the struggle after Gozaburo wins… Or it could be Illidan going insane and using the crown to kill everyone. Lol, but seriously, I hope everyone likes the ending. You all have been great, and thanks for all the support to the loyal and constant reviews. Maybe, just maybe, this story will hit 600 reviews before I close it out. If not, then this story has still surpassed all my expectations. Again, thanks everyone. Now, on with the answering of reviews!**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, he keeps refilling his points, which makes it difficult for Illidan to make a dent in him. Thanks for the congrats.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Yes, I sent little Yugi to the Shadow Realm. Can you deal with that? Lol, but yes, I sent him. I thought I'd add a bit of drama at the least. The main character (one of them at least) had to go, so why not Yugi? But yeah, it's looking familiar, except without Yugi, hehe.**

**Strawberry Cake: Why not Ryon? He'll be worth it. Smirks at comment. Watches Birdman flying around the room and basking in sunlight. Harvey: "Need solar energy! Must have it to keep alive!" I never killed the grandma. It was you I believe Ryon that did that. At least they said you did it.**

**Ryon Nakura: Indeed it is. And no Ryou, you can't be in it. Go get reborn by a demon and a human, or two half demons. Then we'll talk.**

**Berry Kisses: Pins ears to head. Ryou, turn that crappy music off! Ach, my ears, they feel as if they're bleeding from that awful music! Slashes tape player and vcr in half with claws. Ah, at last, peace and quiet.**

**Fire Princess: Looks at bloated Ryon. Need some help? Smiling evil as he crackles claws.**

**Brianna Ishtar: It's possible to be both. Just look at … Hmm, I don't know of a good example. Ah yes, I remember. Look at Sesshomaru. He kills everyone, but yet keeps from killing on little girl. Whispers to Sesshomaru. You're keeping her for the grand finale, aren't you? Sesshomaru smirks evilly.**

**sweetxokissesxo: Laughs at card in garbage. Strikes a match and throws it in for good measure. There you go Ryou. Watches Ryou picking up flaming hot card. Ryou: "NOOOOO!"**

**Anon.: Lol, not sure who you are, but ok. Damn Ryon, you've gotten weak. Alright, I've decided to train you back into tip top shape of being evil. Training begins at 5 am! Ryon goes to only find me not there. Sucker, hehe. Stays in bed with Cindy and chuckles evilly.**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Yeah, Anubis is one tough cookie. Thanks, lol. The Ojama's was just something to hurt Illidan as well as strengthen Gozaburo. It was a win win solution, lol. Glad you can't wait. You'll soon enough what happens.**

**Well, that's it. I'll make one last final review after the final chapter. I'll post it sometime this week, most likely. Also, as I said before, I'll begin posting the sequel starting next week. Again, thanks to everyone who has read this, and I encourage anyone and everyone to review. I enjoy listening to what the readers think of the story. Feedback is always helpful, whether it's good or bad. Plus, it gives me many ideas for things to work on.**

**That's it my friends, so enjoy these last two chapters. Again, I'll post again later this week to follow up. Anyways, till then, enjoy my friends. Later.**

**Chapter 138**

Gozaburo only laughed and then drew his next card. He laughed manically after drawing his card, pointing at Illidan and saying "It's time I put you down once and for all Illidan. I reveal my trap card, Magical Trick Mirror! This trap card allows me to use one magic or trap card from your Graveyard as my own, and I know exactly what I want. I choose your Monster Reborn! Now I use it to resurrect The Winged Dragon of Ra (0/0)!"

Illidan was shocked, not to mention extremely terrified now at this move Gozaburo was making. Suddenly, Illidan's Graveyard glowed with a golden light and then his Egyptian God Card shot out of his Graveyard. The card then flew across the field to land in Gozaburo's hand, who then slapped the card to his Duel Disk. And then suddenly, there it was. The golden dragon let out a terrifying roar in an attempt to impress Anubis. Anubis only growled softly at the Egyptian God, which forced Ra to back down.

Gozaburo smiled evilly at Illidan and said "It's time I show you the most devastating of Anubis's effects. I now give up 1000 life points in order to transform Anubis into his God of Death form!" As Gozaburo's life points dwindled, Marie's body faded. She screamed in pain till only half of her face and where the bonds of the Shadow Realm were still visible. Anubis then began to glow with a black aura and the darkness of the Shadow Realm seemed to grow even darker. Finally, all of Anubis was transformed into a solid black color as his dark aura continued to flare out.

Gozaburo then called out, saying "When Anubis's God of Death form is created, he is allowed to destroy all monsters on your side of the field. Prepare to lose your monsters Illidan! Anubis, use your Judgment of Death to destroy all of Illidan's monsters!"

Everyone on the wall gasped, knowing Illidan was about to lose some seriously strong monsters thanks to Gozaburo's move. Illidan slightly growled, knowing this wasn't going to be pretty in the end. "_I'll be completely defenseless once Gozaburo would attacks me, and if I use Return from a Different Dimension, I'll lose half my life points, and I just can't risk that!_"

Anubis then let out an inhuman cry and shot a powerful blast of dark energy from his right fist directly at Illidan's monsters. The blast struck all four of them, making each scream in pain. Slowly, the dark energy coated each monster till it would explode. Queen's Knight let out a blood curdling scream as she was destroyed in this horrific way. Illidan finally couldn't bear to watch anymore and turned his head away. Obelisk was last to be destroyed. As hard as he fought, it was no use against the might of Anubis. Finally, he blew into millions of pieces as he let out a loud roar of pain. Once they were all gone, Illidan stared at an empty field.

Silently, he said "I'm sorry my monsters. I never wanted any of you to suffer such a terrible destruction. None of you deserved that."

He then stared at Gozaburo, who was laughing at the pain his monsters had felt. Then to Illidan's horror, Anubis transformed from his God of Death form to his normal form.

Illidan then spoke in a voice full of fear, saying "How did he return to normal?"

Gozaburo chuckled evilly and said "Easy. When Anubis has used his God of Death form, he returns to the field as he was once he has finished. Of course, he can't attack this turn, so that's why I required one of your Egyptian God Cards. Now, it's time I begin your final destruction! First, I shall play the magic card known as Red Medicine, which boosts my life points by 500, but those points aren't going to stay there long. Next, I give up all but 1 life point to The Winged Dragon of Ra to increase his points (549/549)!" As Gozaburo's life points drained away yet again, Marie's body became harder and harder to see. Only her right eye and a slight trace of her face were left due to Gozaburo only having one life point.

Illidan growled at Gozaburo's treatment of her, but there was little Illidan could do to help her.

Gozaburo then went laughed evilly and yelled "Now I sacrifice Anubis to The Winged Dragon of Ra, thus allowing Ra to gain Anubis's points (4350 + 549 4899/4899)!" Anubis then glowed with a soft white aura and then disappeared, while Ra glowed with golden energy and powered up, letting out a roar to show who was truly the strongest on the field.

Illidan only stood there, staring in disbelief. "_If I use my trap, I'll destroy half of my friends at least most likely. If I don't use my trap, I'll lose almost all of them but one! Grr, I can't do it though! If I destroy them, that'd destroy me inside too much! I can't do it! There is a way to save them though, but I need that card to do it. I just have to hope I can do it next turn._"

Gozaburo then interrupted Illidan's thoughts when he yelled "It's time you feel my wrath Illidan Stormrage! Winged Dragon of Ra, attack Illidan directly with your Blaze Cannon!" Ra let loose a mighty roar and ignited his powerful weapon on his back. A huge sphere of fire began to glow as it was fueled by the power that Anubis had given Ra. Ra let loose a roar and then opened it's mouth to fire the blast.

Everyone on the wall watched in horror as Ra fired it's most devastating attack directly at Illidan. All Illidan could do was brace himself for what he knew would be one brutal attack. The blast hit him hard, knocking him into the air and then into the tower wall. He smashed into it hard and then fell to the ground with a large thud. There Illidan would lie for what seemed like forever as Gozaburo burst out loud laughing.

Everyone on the wall was horrified at the site of Illidan lying on the ground. Marie looked on in horror, but was unable to say a word due that most of her body was gone. Silently, tears began to roll down from what was left of her face.

Gozaburo continued to laugh till he heard someone say in a raspy voice "It's… not over… yet."

He stopped and looked over to the corner to see Illidan slowly getting back up. Little by little, he slowly stood till he finally stood up straight. Then painstakingly, Illidan limped back over to his position on the field.

Gozaburo only grinned evilly at this new development. "So, you're not going to give it up are you Illidan?" he asked mockingly.

Illidan looked up at him with eyes that beamed with determination still yet, and then said "No, I will never give up! As long as there is breath left in me, I will never give up this fight!"

Gozaburo then laughed again and said "Good, cause I'd hate to not have the opportunity to torture you even more. Now watch as all your friends are about to suffer for your failure! But this time, it shall be different. Rather than spin the roulette several times, I've decided to send everyone except Yami to the Shadow Realm!"

Illidan only could watch in horror as screams began to fill the air. One by one, his friends cried out in pain as they slowly began to fade away into the Shadow Realm. A rage came over Illidan as he saw friend after friend disappear. It was almost too much for him to bear. Finally, the last scream was quieted and the sound of Millennium Items falling to the ground stopped. There was only Yami, Illidan, Marie, the judge, and Gozaburo left.

Illidan glared at Gozaburo, saying "How could you! They had done nothing to you, yet you destroyed them all! And for what? Tell me, why you have done this?"

Gozaburo only laughed and replied with "For it was you that committed the crime Illidan. It is your fault for what you did to me in ancient times! You stole Marie from me, and took her for your own. Then you banned me from gaining a Millennium Item! That was the final slap in the face and I decided then and there to take you out! If you weren't destroyed, you could seriously hurt all the people surrounding you, and I wasn't going to allow that!"

Illidan only sadly shook his head and calmly said "How sad. Even after 5000 years, you still don't understand why we wouldn't allow you to have the Millennium Crown. As well, you still don't understand why Marie decided to be with me. All that you accuse me of doing is wrong. The jealously and anger you felt towards me has allowed the Millennium Crown to cloud and control your mind. Gozaburo, you must let go if you're to survive and set yourself free."

Gozaburo only began to laugh at this and then replied with "You're such a fool Illidan! My mind has been set free, not clouded. With this Millennium Item, I shall finally shall set things right in this world!"

Illidan only shook his head again and said "Does that mean by setting things right you'll completely take over and oppress everyone? Will you even try to do that with Marie? Is that your idea of a perfect world?"

Gozaburo only chuckled and said "You'll see soon enough Illidan. Now, I'm ending my move, thus sending Ra back to your Graveyard. And as soon as you draw your next card, Anubis shall return and pass judgment on you! It's over Illidan, so just give up!"

With those words, Ra roared as he transformed into a golden light and then returned to the card on Gozaburo's Duel Disk. Once back in the card, Gozaburo picked up the card and tossed it at Illidan. Illidan caught it and then placed it back in his Graveyard.

Then Gozaburo calmly said "I end my move." (Gozaburo 1, Illidan 101)

Illidan then brought looked at his deck and closed his eyes as he slowly moved his hand forward to draw. "_If I don't draw the right card this turn, I'm finished, and all those that suffered at Gozaburo's hand will have suffered in vain. No, I can't give up now! I will win, and I will save them all! I swore I'd save them, and I meant it! Please, Heart of the Cards, guide me!_" As Illidan placed his fingers on the next card, he heard two voices crying out to him in his head.

Both were Yami and Marie calling out to him mentally. The first was Marie's, which said "Don't give up Illidan! I know you can do this! Just fight with all your heart, and I know you'll win. Remember also, I will always love you!"

The next voice was then Yami's, saying "Illidan, you can do it! Just believe in yourself and the Heart of the Cards! Remember, we all believe in you as well, so defeat Gozaburo now for all those who have fallen at his hands!"

Illidan mentally said "I will, and I promise I'll save you both somehow. Remember Marie, I love you as well."

Illidan then drew his card and slowly brought it up to look at it. He slowly opened his eyes to see it was a very useful card after all.

Before he could say a word though, Gozaburo laughed as his Graveyard glowed with a brilliant white light. Suddenly, Anubis then reappeared on the field in his traditional place.

Illidan smiled and then said "Since it's my Standby Phase, I now add Sinister Serpent back to my hand. Next, I'll play the magic card Card Destruction! This magic card forces us to both discard our entire hands to the Graveyard, then we each draw the same number of cards we just discarded from our decks. Since you hold no cards, you get no cards, but I get to draw a new hand."

Illidan then sent his entire hand to his Graveyard and slowly drew a new hand. Looking at it, he saw the two cards he needed and smiled.

He then looked up at Gozaburo and said "It's over for you now. It's time I bring about the beginning of your end."

Gozaburo only laughed and said "You really think you can beat me? Just try me!"

Illidan smirked and said "You asked for it then. I shall begin by bringing forth your beginning of the end. So, I move my Deck Master, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500) to the field in defense mode!" Illidan's large black armored soldier then leapt from his normal Deck Master Position to the field. He then took a knee and raised his shield and sword up to represent defense.

Gozaburo only burst out loud laughing, saying "You're a fool Illidan! Now once I destroy your Deck Master, you're finished. But don't forget, you brought him out onto the field and triggered Anubis's special ability! Anubis, use your Energy Drain on his pathetic Deck Master!" Anubis then brought forth one hand and fired a blast of pure white energy at Illidan's large warrior. The blast struck the powerful black armored monster hard, causing a huge explosion and a great deal of smoke to appear. Once the smoke cleared, Illidan's powerful warrior still stood on the field, but his armor was scratched and some of it was broken. His shield showed damage as well, as well as his scratched up sword. All these signs showed for sure that the warrior was definitely weaker (3000/500).

Illidan only looked on with confidence and then said "Next I'll bring out your end. I now remove my Spirit Reaper and Queen's Knight from my Graveyard to the Removed From Game pile to special summon my Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500) in defense mode!" Suddenly the mighty black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field and let loose a terrifying roar at Gozaburo. Gozaburo didn't bat an eye, but still the dragon let out another roar, hoping to strike some kind of fear into him and Anubis. Anubis only let out a small growl that made the dragon kind of tremble with fear of the mighty Egyptian God.

Gozaburo then began laughing and said "You are a true fool Illidan! Now you're dragon shall suffer a similar fate as your soldier! Go Anubis and use your Energy Drain on that dragon!" Anubis then stretched his hand out once more and fired a burst of white energy from his palm at the mighty dragon. The powerful black dragon was then struck and screeched in pain as the blast hit it. When it hit, a cloud of smoke rose from where the blast had made contact. When the smoke cleared, there stood the once powerful dragon with tattered wings and some minor cuts. It still had it's pride in tact, but was definitely weaker (3000/500).

Illidan still looked on with confidence though. Gozaburo only chuckled at Illidan and said "Why do you look so confident? Don't you realize you're about to lose this duel Illidan?"

Illidan only smiled and said "You're mistaken Gozaburo. It is you who is about to lose it all! Now I reveal my face down card: the trap card known as Return from the Different Dimension!" Suddenly a rift, one like D.D. Warrior Lady had created earlier in the duel, appeared above the field.

Illidan then said "Of course, this card does have a cost. I must now give up half of my life points, but since this duel is about over, it won't matter. Now that I've given up half, I must bring back as many monsters from my Removed From Game pile as I can, so I revive Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in defense, D.D. Warrior Lady (1500/1600) in defense, and Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode!" Suddenly the three monsters then came flying out of the rift and landed on the field in their respective modes. The two lady warriors each then took a knee to show their defensive stances, while the mighty mage took an attack pose.

Gozaburo only laughed at this little display and said "Illidan, you fool, you've triggered Anubis's special ability! Now Anubis, use your Energy Drain on all three of those monsters!" Anubis then stretched his hand out and fired three single shots of white energy. The first to get hit was Queen's Knight, who was screamed as she blew up. The next one to take the fall was D.D. Warrior Lady. Easily, the blast struck her, making her cry out in pain.

Yami gasped at this, thinking this was Illidan's plan, but Illidan only smiled as his monster's destruction and didn't say a thing.

Finally, the last blast struck Illidan's powerful mage. The mage was pushed backwards slightly, but held his ground. When the smoke cleared, the mage still stood, but was definitely weaker (800/2600). A slight trickle of blue blood could be seen going down his forehead and between his eyes. The mage's armor was torn and scratched up, but he showed the resolve to still fight.

Gozaburo only laughed at this and said "That was foolish Illidan, for you could have wiped out Anubis with your D.D. Warrior Lady! Now you're finished for your stupidity!"

Illidan only laughed and then pointed at Gozaburo, saying "It's not over yet. Now that I have my trio of Chaos Monsters on the field, you're finished. These three monsters united under the noblest of causes will triumph over your evil right here today!"

Gozaburo only laughed till Illidan then pulled one card out of his hand and said "This card will put you down once and for all. United, my Chaos Monsters shall prevail over you. Now I reveal the card of your demise! I play the magic card United We Stand, and equip this card to my Dark Magician of Chaos! For each monster I have on the field, my Dark Magician of Chaos gains 800 points, and since I have all three of my Chaos Monsters out, that means a nice bonus of 2400 (2400 + 800 3200/2400 + 2600 5000)!" The powerful mage then began to glow with new a new strength. Like Illidan, his strength came from his friends. "_In a way, I feel like my three Chaos Monsters are like me, Marie, and Yami from old times. The three of us were so close and grew on one another's strengths. Now my three monsters shall do the same thing in order to win this duel._"

Gozaburo watched in horror as the dark aura surrounding the powerful mage began to grow stronger by the minute. Finally, the mage was done powering up and opened his eyes to stare at Gozaburo with his red irises. The mage then swung his staff in front of himself till finally it was pointing at Gozaburo. Gozaburo only stared on, with horror still written on his face, knowing what was to come.


	139. Chapter 139: Final Assault of Sadness

**Chapter 139**

Illidan stared at Gozaburo with a look of pure determination. At all costs, Illidan knew he had to win, no matter what. Letting Gozaburo win and take over the world was not an option. Even if it was at the cost of losing Marie, Illidan seemed determined to end this one way or another.

Illidan then clenched his right hand tight, knowing he was about to win, and to finish Gozaburo off once and for all. Still, it was hard to do, knowing that Marie would fall with him. He then hid his eyes underneath his bangs as tears began to form in the corner of his eyes. He was realizing now what he would have to do in order to finish Gozaburo. He knew he had no choice though. If he gave up, it was over for the world. Still, this didn't make it any easier for him to know that if he didn't give up, Marie would disappear into the Shadow Realm.

Finally drawing up what courage he had, he then looked up at Gozaburo with a look that said it all. It was a look of pure determination to do what he knew was right.

With that pure determination clearly in his voice, he then said "Now you will answer for all those souls you destroyed. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Anubis, The God of Life and Death with Chaos Scepter Blast!" Gozaburo watched wide eyed as the powerful mage then pointed his staff at the Egyptian God. The mage's aura then began to flare up. The dark energy surrounding him continued to glow as power began to pour into his staff.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I WILL NOT LOSE TO THE LIKES OF YOU ILLIDAN STORMRAGE!" screamed Gozaburo.

Illidan only replied with "It's over Gozaburo. Now Dark Magician of Chaos, finish it and set the others free!"

At last, the mage had enough power to finish the job. He then took aim with his staff and fired a powerful blast of dark energy at Anubis. Anubis stood his ground and didn't do a thing as he was hit by the powerful blast. The blast engulfed Anubis completely on contact and yet there was no reaction from Anubis. The Egyptian God just stood there like a statue still till he was finally obliterated.

Gozaburo then felt the backwash of the blast as it struck him, making him fall to his knees. His final life point then ran out, thus ending the duel. As he fell to his knees and his life points had run out, his eyes seemed to change.

Once he was down, the judge then cleared his throat and said "The winner of this duel is Illidan Stormrage!"

Illidan didn't care about that though. He quickly ran over to where what was left of Marie was. Tears were filling his eyes, for he knew she'd be gone soon.

Gozaburo then let out a scream, which made everyone that was left look over. He stood, screaming "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

Illidan suddenly realized what it was that had happened. "_He has finally broken free of the crown's evil. It only took him five millennia, but he finally did it. I guess the thought of Marie finally being destroyed by his own hands has finally sunk in._"

Gozaburo then looked up at Marie and saw her slowly fading into the Shadows. He then screamed "I won't harm Marie! Hear me now Shadows, I change the rules! Instead of taking Marie, take me!"

The Shadow Realm seemed to answer quickly as it released it's grasp on Marie, thus restoring her body. The bonds holding her to the wall then released her and she fell into Illidan's waiting arms. Illidan looked at her, knowing she was exhausted from this whole ordeal. She was awake, but barely.

Then both looked up to see that Gozaburo had begun to fade away into the Shadows.

His face then softened and he said "I'm sorry Marie. I know I've never had a chance to win your love, but this is my last gesture of my love for you that I could give to you. Remember, I shall always love you!"

Then his body completely disappeared with those last words, causing the Millennium Crown to land on the ground with a loud clang. As he disappeared, all of the people that had been on the wall reappeared on the wall.

Yami exclaimed "YUGI! You're back!"

Slowly, each of their friends reappeared. Illidan smiled at the fact that they were all back. Each one then cheered on Illidan, realizing it was he that set them free. He only looked around while holding Marie in his arms.

Finally, the bonds holding them to the wall disappeared and each dropped to the floor. Most of the group landed gracefully on their feet, if not on their knees, but Joey fell on his butt for comic relief. Everyone couldn't help but laugh, and even Seto let a smile pass over his face. Joey got up rubbing his rump in order to sooth the pain.

During the commotion, Illidan saw Yugi and Yami become one once again, thus meaning their spirits had re-intertwined.

As well, the darkness of the Shadow Realm then faded away, revealing a beautiful sunset.

As everyone looked up and enjoyed the sun light, Illidan then knew that there was one more thing left. That's when everyone then looked at the Millennium Crown that was left on the ground. Beside the crown laid the fourth Egyptian God Card, Anubis, The God of Life and Death. Illidan continued to stare at both, knowing that he had one last thing to do before it was truly over.

He then turned to Yami and said "Do you think you can take care of Marie while I take care of this?"

Yami nodded slowly, replying with "Yes, I can. Be careful Illidan. You yourself said that thing was dangerous. Don't let it take you over!"

Illidan nodded and gently laid Marie on the ground. She stared at him with sad, pleading brown eyes. Illidan knew what she was going to say, and gently kissed her. Then he gently said "It's alright. I promise I'll be back." She slightly nodded as he stood.

Illidan then slowly walked over to where the Millennium Crown laid. Cautiously, he placed a hand on the crown, feeling the evil that surrounded it. He then began to invoke the power of his Millennium Key in order to combat the evil. Then he slowly picked it up with one hand. He was barely able to hold it. The veil of evil surrounding the crown was so thick. Slowly, Illidan looked within the crown for the seal he had created.

Upon finding it, he then yelled out "Millennium Crown, I now activate the power that was sealed away within you long ago! I have won a duel against the man who wielded you, and I beat him using the three Egyptian Gods, thus releasing your power! Now, hear my wish!"

The crown then glowed golden, knowing it had no choice but to respond to whatever wish Illidan had. Illidan still held tight to the crown, trying hard to not let go. The evil escaping from the crown was extremely powerful, but he dared not to let go.

When he felt the crown was ready, he then said "Now for the wish I want. I wish for the Shadow Magic within the Millennium Crown to be completely destroyed!"

The crown seemed to reluctantly glow and Illidan dropped it to the floor. The Millennium Crown then began to glow brighter and brighter. The evil aura surrounding it then became apparent by a dark black glow. It twisted around the crown and seemed to slowly be fading. Little by little, the darkness surrounding the crown dissipated, till finally the darkness vanished. With that, the Millennium Crown then let out one last bright golden glow and then grew dark. As it grew dark, the crown then shattered into many pieces.

Illidan slowly walked over to the broken pieces, examining them to make sure the evil that had once inhabited the Millennium Crown was gone once and for all. Slowly, he picked up a piece and examined it close up. At last satisfied that the Millennium Crown was truly gone, he threw the piece back down. He then stooped over and picked up the fourth Egyptian God Card. He stared at it for a moment and turned to the others, saying "It's finished. The Millennium Crown is no more."

With those words, he then finally succumbed to his lack of energy and passed out.

Before he could hit the floor though, Joey and Tristan caught Illidan, with Joey saying "Well, he sure is exhausted."

Yami only chuckled, saying "It's no wonder. After all, he just stood up to the most powerful Egyptian God Card ever, as well as fought a tough Shadow Game. He deserves a good long rest."

Yami then looked down at Marie, seeing that when Illidan had passed out, she had as well. Gently, the two were then packed back inside of the tower and placed in their rooms to rest and recover.

Two days later, Illidan finally reawakened to find what he thought was an angel sitting beside his bed. In his own mind, it was, for it was Marie sitting there. She smiled at seeing that he was finally awake.

He smiled back and mumbled "This is a change. Usually it's me waiting for you to awaken."

She couldn't help but laugh at him, and say "I figured it was time for a change I guess. After all, I can't be knocked out all the time and have you waiting on me your whole life."

Illidan could only chuckle and say "True."

Slowly, he then sat up in the bed. He glanced around and noticed they were still in the Duel Tower. Looking around the room, he saw his Duel Disk and deck were in their usual spot, and now another card was beside of his deck. Slowly, he realized that more than likely, it was the fourth God Card.

Illidan then stretched out and said "So, how long was I out? A few hours?"

Marie only laughed at his comment and said "It's been two days." Illidan only chuckled at this.

"Figures." he finally said.

She smiled and then picked up some clothes that were piled next to the bed. She then handed them to him, saying "Here are some clothes for you to wear. I figured I'd have some ready for whenever you'd wake up."

He gladly took them and slowly stood. As he stood, he slowly tried to figure out if he had anything on. Looking down, he saw he had on his shorts that he slept in all the time on still. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he didn't just show his body by accident.

Marie only giggled, knowing what he was thinking. He then headed towards the bathroom.

Before he got there, he stopped and looked over his shoulder and said "I'm going to take a shower. I'll be back soon. Wait for me."

She smiled and said "I will, I promise." Illidan smiled and then entered.

About twenty minutes later, he came out feeling clean yet again and in his fresh clean clothes. He then walked in to find Marie still waiting for him, and a bowl of Ramen Noodles. He smiled, realizing she had fixed him a bowl, knowing that he'd be hungry.

Hungrily, he ate them as Marie started talking about what had happened after she woke up the day before.

It seemed that Seto and Mokuba, along with Noa, were working on something on the island. The others had taken the time to catch up on things, and some used the time to practice dueling with one another. When he finally finished, Illidan placed his bowl in his sink.

Then he turned to Marie and said "So, where is Yugi?"

She looked at him with her gorgeous brown eyes and said "He is on the top of the Duel Tower, waiting for you."

Illidan nodded and then picked up his deck and Duel Disk. Then he grabbed the fourth Egyptian God Card and placed it on top of his deck, and then slid his deck in his pocket.

Then he turned to her and said "I'm headed up there. There is something I have to do before we leave this island."

She nodded and walked over to Illidan, placing a small kiss on his cheek, saying "I know. Remember, I love you."

Illidan then returned the kiss with one on her lips. It was more of a chastising kiss than anything and said "I know, and I love you as well. I'll be back soon."

With that, he turned and left the room. Slowly, he wandered down the hallway to the elevator. Finally reaching it, he entered and headed for the top floor. Once arriving, he slowly walked out to see Yugi standing on the opposite side of the tower. He was looking off into the distance, like he was trying to see something in specific.

Illidan then walked out of the elevator and towards Yugi. Yugi then said "Good to see you're up Illidan. I was wondering when you'd wake up."

Yugi then turned around and had a smile on his face. His violet eyes showed so much innocence. You'd never guess by the way he looked and how kind his eyes were that he was a person who had immense power within himself and was one of the fiercest duelists out in the world.

Illidan smiled and slowly walked to Yugi, saying "Well, I needed a good nap. Haven't had one in five millennia after all."

Yugi could only laugh as Yami appeared beside him in spirit form.

Yami appeared smiling at Illidan, and then said "I'm glad you're alright. I'm very grateful to you for saving the world Illidan, and for saving all of us. I know it was hard to do, but you did the right thing."

Illidan nodded and said "I knew I had to save the world and you all, even at the cost of what I wanted. Also, I know it's what Marie would have wanted too, as bad as I like to admit it. At least in the end, Gozaburo returned to his true self and freed Marie from harm. For that, I will forever be in debt to him over."

Yami nodded at this comment. Illidan then took his deck out of it's holder and sorted through it for four cards.

Then he said "Here, these are yours I believe."

Illidan handed all four Egyptian God Cards to Yugi. Yugi took them and looked at all four, marveling at them. He smiled as Yami stared at the four as well. Slowly though, Yami picked up one of the four from Yugi's hand and handed it to Illidan.

"This one belongs to you Illidan." Yami kindly said. Illidan looked at the card Yami had handed him and saw it was Anubis.

Illidan looked puzzled and then said "Are you sure Yami? You are after all the pharaoh, and should be the one to have all four."

Yami lightly chuckled and said "I'm sure. Anubis is yours to command Illidan. I only need the three to help awaken my memories of ancient times. Without them, I won't be able to do it, but I never needed Anubis to do this. That is why I wish for you to keep Anubis. Plus, I would feel safer it was with you."

Illidan nodded and then said "What about the others Millennium Items?"

Yami smiled and said "Marik returned the Millennium Rod to me, so that is not a problem. As for your Millennium Key, Marie's Millennium Necklace, Bakura's Millennium Ring, and Shadi's Millennium Scales, I'm not worried. The spirit of the Millennium Ring is safely trapped for now thanks to you, and I'm sure if I need the other three items from the three of you, I'm sure you'd be willing to allow me to borrow them."

Illidan nodded and said "Very well then."

"ILLIDAN STORMRAGE!"

Yami, Yugi, and Illidan all looked to see Seto Kaiba coming from the tower elevator then. He had been the one who had yelled. Illidan only smiled, knowing what this was about most likely.

"Illidan, I want our title duel now. I demand it!" huffed Seto.

Illidan only chuckled and said "Well, you're asking the wrong person. As of right this moment, I'm relinquishing hold over the World Championship Title to Yugi Moto. That makes him the official new champion. Congratulations Yugi!"

Yugi turned to Illidan with shock on his face. He then said "Huh!"

Illidan only chuckled as Seto then snarled at Yugi, saying "I want a duel for the World Championship when we get back to Domino!"

Yugi sighed and mentally said to Yami "What, for the millionth time again?"

Yami chuckled in their mental link back to Yugi.

Yugi then said "Sure, which works for me. Thanks Illidan."

The last words could definitely be heard with major sarcasm in it. Illidan only laughed at Yugi's little predicament.

Seto then interrupted and said "I'd run along now and prepare to leave the island. We're leaving in two hours, so be ready. If you're not, then the Kaiba Corporation will have no liability on what happens to you."

Illidan stopped laughing and said "What does that mean?"

Yugi then interrupted and said "It means, he's about to blow the island up again, right?"

Seto nodded and said "This time I'll demolish this dump to where it will never be resurfaced! We packed it full of explosives, so I'd get out of here while I still could."

Seto then walked off, leaving a speechless Illidan. "Well, I guess if you can't win, why not blow the arena up." he joked.

Yami and Yugi both laughed and the three of them headed for their rooms. All of the guests to the tower were quickly gathering all their cloths and things up for the ride home.

Before they left the Duel Tower though, Illidan returned the cards he had won from them. Each was very grateful for the return of their long time missing cards. Of course, the exception to the rule was Marik and Seto. Illidan apologized to both, telling them he had given all three God Cards to Yugi. Marik didn't care, but Seto was angry about it.

"Figures you'd stack the deck for my duel with him." he grumpily replied.

Finally, everyone was ready to go at the two hour mark. Illidan stood there with his duffle bag and was holding Marie's hand. He took one last look at the tower and then back at Marie.

He then said "Things will now hopefully be back to normal now."

Marie giggled and said "Why would you want them normal? After all, we're only a star struck set of lovers from five millennia ago. We'll never be normal."

Illidan couldn't help but laugh at that and together, hand in hand, they walked onto the ferry that was preparing to leave. Once they were about a mile away from the tower, they saw a ferocious explosion that engulfed the entire island and made it completely disappear into the sea, once and for all.

Illidan then looked at Marie and hugged her. He then remembered a quote that he had once heard Yami say when they were married in ancient times. He had said "My friends, always remember, time may turn the pages of life, but it is we that make life what it is! The greatest gift we can find in life is love, and love, it is immune to time!"

Staring at the beautiful woman he was now in love with, he realized how true it was. "I love you Marie, and no amount of time can ever change that." he whispered softly in her ear.

She then softly whispered back "I love you too Illidan, and I shall always be with you."


	140. Farewell

**Well, that was it all my fans. Thank you for all your support, and dedicated reading of my story. This story was my first fan fiction, and I must say, it turned out rather well I think. When I started, I thought to myself, this will only last 50 chapters. Well, 50 chapters later, I thought, well, let's try for 100 chapters. Lol, when I finished up with chapter 100, I started pondering if I'd ever finish. Finally, I got to chapter 139, and I was surprised that I was finally finished. It was somewhat of a surprise to see I had actually finished at long last.**

**I started this story actually back in the summer of 2004. It was around June or July, and I was working at the time, which mostly consisted of mowing, painting, etc, and I was bored. So, like usual, I started imagining stuff. Well, I came up with the concept of this story, and added my characters Illidan and Marie as well. Finally, in July or August, I started writing the story down. My first draft was a bit rough, but it worked. Throughout the next year, I worked on it from time to time. Finally, in December of 2005, I finished at long last. I wrote the last chapter, and was amazed at the length of the story. Anyways, I then decided to go back and make corrections, revisions, clean ups, and space out the whole thing. I finally finished that in February. I still do see little things here and there to fix, but for the most part, I'm happy with how the story came out. The final chapters (106-139) could be revised a little bit, but I'm happy enough with the final result to not bother. Lol, plus I'm lazy and don't feel the urge to revise those chapters.**

**At any rate, again, I thank everyone for their support and reviews. To those who haven't reviewed though, I encourage you to leave some kind of feedback. Don't be shy about saying something is wrong, or something is good. I take it all in good stride, and appreciate any kind of feedback. Speaking of reviews, I guess I won't reach 600, but it's all good. Maybe over time the story will, but till then, I'll be happy with 579 reviews.**

**Now, I'll go ahead and answer the last reviews.**

**Tomb Robber Vicky: Lol, yeah, I thought I'd have Gozaburo kind of break free of the crown at long last, and then add in Joey, hehe. Of course I had to have Seto pout about not winning the tournament. I guess if you can't win, why not destroy everything in your sight. Thanks again.**

**Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks. I'm glad you really liked how things turned out, and look forward to hearing from you in the sequel.**

**Isis the Sphinx: Indeed a kawaii ending. Don't worry about the reviews. I'm just glad to have gotten this many. Yes, I did add that each Egyptian God was kind of struggling for power. After all, each is so different, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses. Even Anubis was shown to be struggling as well. But thank you for your review.**

**Everyone In The Cell: Lol, cute name. Maybe you won't be dead Ryon… After all, the judge may show leniency. Never know…**

**Metal Overlord 2.0: Thanks. I didn't want to hold out on everyone, but due to problems, I had no choice. Thanks about the final touches. I thought it'd be interesting to have Gozaburo realize what he'd done at long last, and try to at least do the right thing. Indeed we are who we are due to the combo of light and darkness. It might not always be balanced, but it happens. Hehe, true. But yes, Illidan has Anubis under his guard. Thank you, and I do hope you'll enjoy the sequel.**

**Well, that's it. I thank everyone once more for reading this story. I would like to add a special thanks to my new wife for encouraging me to finish this story. If not for her help, I'd have maybe never finished. Also, I'd like to thank a few authors for the ideas they gave me from time to time. Well, this is it, so I hope you all have enjoyed this story. The sequel to this story, entitled _The Wolves Seal_ is now being posted, so take a look, and let me know what you think. Thanks again. Later everyone.**


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